


The Realms of Yggdrasil

by KeybladeNinja



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-05-15 20:49:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5799595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeybladeNinja/pseuds/KeybladeNinja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Curiosity killed the cat... When Jane invites Nora to Asgard with her, Nora jumps at the chance. Getting to meet Thor, who helped save Earth from aliens, and visiting the new realm seems like the vacation of a lifetime. Discovering Asgard gets a bit difficult, however, when she keeps getting lost, dealing with a certain mischievous prince, and invisible creatures attacking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Jane!" a loud voice boomed thunderously. 

Nora jumped at the sudden sound, but almost immediately calmed. That voice had to be Thor. Nora had waited a long time to finally meet the man Jane had told her so much about. Suddenly, Jane was being swept up into an enormous hug by a huge blond man. Nora laughed at Jane's surprised and happy face.

Looking away from the two's intimate moment, Nora looked around the large structure around her. Everything seemed so grand and bright. She could see the long rainbow bridge called the Bifrost. It seemed to  flow with energy. It kind of reminded her of the Mario Kart level, only a whole lot better.

"….You can proceed ahead of us…I will show…" Thor's voice continued, floating to Nora through her distracted thoughts. He must have been telling his friends, The Lady Sif and the Warriors Three Nora had thought they called themselves, to go on ahead of them. It was them who had traveled to Earth and brought Jane and her to Asgard.

 

Nora tuned him out again subconsciously as she looked around in awe. After gazing at all the details around her and what she could see of Asgard through the lookout, she noticed the man standing near the center of the room. He had his hands on the large sword sticking out from the floor. Nora cocked her head to the side as she studied the man with curious eyes. He looked back at her patiently, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. She felt like he was looking _through_ her, and simultaneously _not at her_ at the same time. It made her curiosity run rampant inside her mind. After all, it wasn't everyday that she got to see a whole new realm!

 

"Nora!" Jane's voice yelled uncomfortably close to her ear.

 

Heart pounding quickly, she jumped slightly once again, turning to face Jane. "What?" Nora squeaked, placing her hand on her chest.

 

Jane heaved a sigh and shook her head. "I was trying to introduce you to Thor, but you zoned out again."

 

"Sorry," Nora laughed, embarrassed, "I was just  mesmerized by the environment I guess." She had a bad habit of forgetting what was going on around her if she got distracted. Which was often.  She was just too curious for her own good. She may not be a super smart scientist like Jane (and even Darcy knew more than she did), but she was still afflicted with curiosity.

 

Curiosity killed the cat, she often heard others tell her, often in a scolding fashion. But she always dismissed the saying; cats had nine lives, and she figured she had at least four feline lives left by now.

 

"Thor, this is Nora, Darcy's cousin," Jane continued. "Nora, this is Thor."

 

 "Is the Lady Darcy not coming?" Thor asked, seemingly slightly disappointed.

 

Jane shook her head. "No. She tried to eat some suspicious looking food from a gas station. I told her not to, but she insisted that she'd starve if she didn't eat something. Long story short, she has food poisoning now."

 

 Thor seemed torn between wanting to smile at Darcy's antics and frowning in sympathy for his friend's illness. "So this is the Lady Nora," Thor smiled at her kindly. "It is very pleasant to finally meet your acquaintance. Darcy has told me of you before."

 

Nora smiled. "It's just Nora. You don't have to add the Lady in there." Everything that Jane had told her about Thor seemed to be true. He seemed like a very easy person to get along with.

 

"Nora," Thor tested, nodding at her. "Welcome to Asgard my friends." He took Jane's hand and started to lead them towards the huge, towering golden city. Nora was once again transfixed by the colorful bridge, and on impulse, she turned and waved at the gatekeeper. He merely nodded his head, and turned his back to them. As they walked, Nora looked up into the sky. She observed the colorful sky and what appeared to be the end of the realm that dropped off into nothingness. The sky was darkening into brilliant colors of purple and blue, and Nora studied all the new constellations in the sky. Everything was so new and so unknown to her, and she loved it.

 

After a long trek over the bridge, the three entered the outskirts of the city. The Asgardians went about their day, often turning to bow or praise Thor as they passed. They looked at Jane and Nora curiously as they made their way to the palace. Nora flicked her gaze from the surrounding architecture, to the people, to the games some children played while running around, to the clothes. Hopefully, her neck wouldn't hurt too badly from trying to look at so many things quickly. She could faintly hear Thor and Jane speaking, but she was too distracted to pay attention if they were addressing her or not. Faintly, she hoped they weren't trying to talk to her.

 

 Nora noticed the slight changing of the buildings as they neared the palace in the center of the realm. Some buildings became larger and more intricately detailed with designs and strange symbols. She figured that they were the Asgardian language. Even as Nora noticed the changes in buildings, she still wasn’t fully prepared for the grandness of the palace itself.  Everything seemed so huge! Large pillars and statues held up large ceilinged rooms and walkways. The palace seemed to almost glow in the setting sun's light. Nora was blinded several times as the light reflected off the magnificent gold colors of the palace, and she had accidently run into a couple walking through the halls. Jane had then decided to keep Nora close and pull her along so she wouldn't run into anyone else.  Thinking about it made her cheeks redden with embarrassment. 

 

Once inside the palace walls, Nora stopped to take it all in. Even Jane seemed awestruck at the sight.  If she thought the outside of the palace was magnificent, the inside of the palace was even more so.

 

"This way, my guests," Thor chuckled at their shocked faces. "The kitchens have prepared a most delicious feast for your arrival."

 

 "Yes!" Nora smiled to herself. Not only would she be able to see more of the castle, she'd get to see and try the Asgardian food. She wondered what kind of delicacies they had on Asgard. Surely, there'd be some strange and interesting dishes for her to try. She'd try anything and everything. She had even tried Darcy's nasty gas station food.

 

Thor lead the way through the palace halls and large corridors. Looking around, Nora started to worry slightly. There were many hallways and paths to take, and they all looked similar to the other. Surely she'd get lost. Along with her curiosity, Nora tended to get turned around easily. Usually, her curiosity got her lost, but she would try to stay with someone at all times.

 

They passed a few people in the halls as they headed towards the feast. After a few minutes of walking, Thor stopped in front of a large double door entryway that was open, giving them a view of the inner room. Numerous smells surrounded Nora as she took in all the tables and people inside. Everyone seemed merry and happy enough as they ate and drank. Boisterous clapping started as Thor made a path for them through the people. He smiled broadly at everyone, and sat near his friends that had brought Nora and Jane to Asgard. Fandral was chatting away with multiple women surrounding him, while Volstagg told wondrous stories of past victories and battles. Sif sat there laughing and correcting Volstagg as he seemingly embellished some of the stories. Hogun just sat there, definitely the quiet one of the group.

 

Nora looked around at everyone having a good time and eating happily. Then she turned to Thor who sat next to her. "So Prince Thor, what do you recommend I try first?" she asked, looking around at the food placed around her with interest. Some food she could easily recognize, like the colorful vegetables spread about, and the various meats. There were some other platters of food that looked unlike anything she had ever seen.

 

"You may address me as Thor, Nora," Thor smiled, repeating her words from earlier. "And everything is quite delectable, I would not even know where to begin," he continued, beginning to reach for some food for himself and Jane.  "You should try everything!"

 

"Alright! Consider it done," Nora laughed as she grabbed small portions of everything around her.

 

"Thor, you don't have to make me a plate," Jane told him, taking her plate away from him as he piled food on top of it.

 

"But you are my guest, Jane. Also, I have seen what you prefer to eat from my time in Midgard, so I know what you will most likely agree with. But you are welcome to try anything you want," Thor told her, smiling down at her.

 

Nora saw the small blush creep onto Jane's cheeks, and she smiled. Nora envied Jane a little. To have a guy (well, demi-god in Thor's case) care about her so much. She was lucky, even if they didn't see each other very often. But seeing Jane that happy, made Nora want someone to look at her like Thor was looking at Jane. Distracted and spacey she may be, Nora saw a lot more than people gave her credit for.  Laughing and eating anything in sight, Nora enjoyed the feast with the rest of the Asgardians and Jane.

 

* * *

 

Long after darkness fell and the feast started to die down, did Thor decide to show them to their rooms while they stayed in Asgard.

_Let's see…_ Nora thought to herself. _Left, straight, down a couple hallways, right, left… Or was it two rights after the last hallway?_   Dread filled Nora as she realized she would most definitely get lost inside the palace halls.

 

"Here you are, Nora. These are your chambers while you stay here," Thor announced stopping in front of a large wooden door with intricate designs carved into it. He opened it for her, pushing the door open like it wasn’t almost ten feet tall and probably weighed a lot.

 

"Thank you, Thor. This will be-" Nora stopped mid-sentence while her jaw dropped. She expected the room to be normal sized, or at least fairly decent sized due to the size of the palace. What the wasn't expecting, was a room that was almost the size of a small house. Immediately inside the room was an open sitting area with a large fireplace in the far wall. A huge bed sat to the left of the room, and to the right of the bed was another doorway. There was also another door on the right side of the room. A small glass door led to a balcony. "Th-this is my room?!"  Maybe he had forgotten to tell her that her and Jane would be sharing a room.

 

"Yes, Nora. This room is yours and yours alone." Thor seemed hesitant for a minute. "Is it to your liking? I can procure you a new one if you wish."

 

 "No, no, the room is fantastic! I didn't expect it to be so big!" she told him, making placating gestures. _I could throw a parade in here,_ she thought.

 

Thor's hesitance melted away instantly, replaced with a relieved grin. "Good. I will escort Jane to her room and retire for the night. I shall see you tomorrow. I wish you a well rested night." Nora smiled at them, waving goodnight as they started walking down the hallway and out of sight.

* * *

 

 

It had taken Nora a while to settle down after she shut the doors to her room. First things first, she explored the room from top to bottom. She found the bed and furniture to be made of soft, almost fuzzy fabrics. The sheets felt smooth like silk, but she didn't find it surprising. The one door near the bed lead to a large closet like space that she definitely didn’t need. All she had was her backpack filled with her belongings. The other room to the right of the room held a large bathtub like structure, but it was the size of a small pool! Several places along the walls held holders for torches and candles alike. A few of the candles were burned almost down to the holders from her exploring through the night. Finally, after the moons were high in the sky, did she finally lay down to sleep. As soon as she laid on the mattress, she immediately sunk into it comfortably, and let her fatigue wash over her.

 

Streaming rays of sun filtered into her room, effectively waking her up as the sun rose. Nora yawned and sat up, stretching her muscles. _A girl could definitely get used to this._ She felt like royalty, and she was just a guest. She couldn't imagine what Thor and his family felt like.

 

Thinking of the royal family gave Nora a twinge of excitement and anxiety. Jane and her were supposed to be meeting Thor's family a bit later in the morning. Thor had assured them that his family was nice, but his father tended to be rather intense at times, and Loki liked to cause problems and mischief. It seemed his mother was the only normal one of the family.

 

Nora wasn't exactly the most…refined person to be around, which was the source of her anxiety. Her mouth tended to get away from her, speaking whatever random thoughts popped into her head. Just another part of the "Nora Charm" as Darcy called it. Nora snorted at the term "charm". That _charm_ had gotten her into plenty of problems before.

 

Getting out of bed, Nora dug through her backpack for a pair of clothes, putting on the nicer pieces for the meeting. She longed to get herself one of those pretty and elegant Asgardian dresses that she had seen the previous day. Maybe she would ask Thor about it when she saw him later.

 

As she pulled on one of her flats, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Nora called, pulling the shoe into place. Jane's head appeared from the doorway as she peaked in.

 

"You ready to go? We have to meet- Thor's parents in a little bit," Jane told her, hesitating slightly. It seemed Nora wasn't the only one that was nervous.

 

"I'm ready," she smiled, trying to put her friend's uneasiness. Jane was probably more nervous because her and Thor were a thing. Or at least she thought they were a thing by now. She really needed to ask Jane what was going on with that.

 

As they left the room, Nora noticed that Thor wasn't waiting outside for them. She assumed that Jane knew where to go, and she tried to take this time to calm Jane's nerves.

 

"So Jane, did you and Thor share a room last night?" Nora asked scandalously, wagging her eyebrows dramatically at her friend. "Couldn't help but notice that you two left together." Nora already knew that Jane got kind of embarrassed when it came to talking about her romantic relationships with others. So when Jane started getting flustered, denying anything, Nora couldn't help but laugh at her.

 

"No, we didn't-Nora! You did that on purpose didn’t you?" Jane narrowed her eyes at her. Nora could see little sparks of frustration flash in her eyes. Jane then started walking off quickly, leaving Nora behind so she had to jog to keep up.

 

"Look Jane, I was just trying to distract you. Besides, we both know who the classier one is here. I'll probably say something stupid during the meeting and make a fool of myself. You have nothing to worry about. Thor will be there too, he'll have our back," Nora told Jane soothingly.

 

Jane exhaled a sharp breath and slowed her pace. "I suppose. Thanks Nora, everything will be fine," she muttered, seemingly trying to convince herself more than Nora. Nora just gave her an encouraging smile as they walked. She knew Jane would be fine. She was Jane Foster! Thor would have Jane's back like she had told her.

 

_Now who was going to have her back?_  Nora wondered, only slightly anxious. She just hoped she could manage to keep any unnecessary comments from falling out of her mouth without thinking. _Yeah, fat chance of that happening._

Lost inside her thoughts, Nora followed Jane in her peripheral vision as she tried to gain supreme control of herself. Even as she tried to steel herself, she prayed to any and all gods she could think of that she wouldn't make a fool of herself.

 

A sudden hand on her shoulder jolted her from her thoughts. She jerked her head up to see Thor peering down at her, a slight smirk on his face. He had his typical Asgardian armor on, his long red cape trailing behind him. She really wanted a cape! Maybe she could get one while she was in Asgard.

 

"Nora."

 

Come to think of it, she hadn't seen Thor in normal clothes. Darcy's pictures from his first trip to Earth were destroyed when she threw her phone at a guy. The phone had ended up in a fountain. All she had seen were pictures from the news when the attack on New York happened. Even in those he was in his Asgardian armor.

 

"Nora."

 

Did his parents and brother wear capes? She immediately started to picture Thor's family all wearing matching capes. Although, from what she had heard, Loki seemed like a difficult person to get along with, considering his endless mischief and problem causing ways, much to his namesake. _Like really, who gets it in their head to take over the Earth, starting in New York?_ Personally, she didn't quite see the appeal-

 

"NORA!"

 

"What?!" Nora gasped, focusing on Jane and Thor. Thor looked at her confused, while Jane just looked exasperated. She somehow felt like a child getting scolded by her parents. "Sorry," she muttered automatically. Dang! And after she had tried to be better at focusing and preparing for the meeting.  She prayed she at least made it most of the way through the meeting before something happened. Surely, she could make it that long.

 

"It is time to meet with the Allfather and Allmother," Thor told Nora, still looking at her strangely. "Are you ill? Would you like to return-"

 

"No, no! I'm completely fine. Just lost in my thoughts again!" Nora pointed to the large door in front of them. "Are they in here?"

 

"Yes," Thor replied, uncertain how to handle her spacing out. She had long since grown accustomed to the confused looks.

 

Embarrassed and trying to get all the attention off of her, Nora pushed the door open and walked inside. She was still looking back at Jane and Thor as she walked, so she had no way of seeing the huge person she had run directly into. After being knocked back a few steps suddenly, she finally looked forward and up at the person. Surprise banked her face as she looked up at the huge man that towered above her.

 

" _Holy crap you have an eye patch!"_

That was the first thought to run through her head as she looked at the man she assumed was Thor's father. Those were the first words that came to her mind, and sadly, those were the first words out of her mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

There was an awkwardly long and tension filled silence. No one seemed to know what to do or say. Especially the two standing before her, who she quickly realized must be Thor's mother and father. AKA the king and queen of Asgard.

 

_Way to go Nora!_  She chided herself mentally. _You were worried about messing up the meeting, you didn't even think about starting the meeting with an unfortunate slip of the tongue._ "Uhh…" Nora stuttered, trying to break the silence. _Think Nora think! How can you bounce back from that?_

_You can't you idiot!_  A part of her mind screamed at her.

 

"Nora," she heard Jane groan quietly behind her.

 

Everything seemed to slow to a halt. Every breath, every heartbeat felt like minutes. Odin stood there, staring down into Nora's eyes. Thor was right; he was really intense. Nora couldn't seem to find any words as her brain worked on overdrive to figure out where to go from there. Even her jumbled thoughts couldn't provide her with anything coherent, or even something random, to say. Her brain had momentarily shorted out.

 

Odin's continued stare made Nora start to fidget uncomfortably. There seemed to be a sense of…power that almost radiated from him. Not just an air of authority that he held since he was king, but something else seemed to ripple through the air. He was definitely older than anything she could comprehend.

 

"Did I miss something? Why are we all congregating inside the doorway?" a voice asked, looking inside the open doors.

 

Thor was the first to break the silence. "Brother! You've arrived!"

 

There was a slight confused pause. "So it would seem. What is going on?" the voice asked again. That voice had to be Loki. Thank God, and end to the silence!

 

"Oh nothing," Thor assured, slightly antsy now. Then he pushed Jane into the room gently until she stood near Nora. "Mother, Father, this is Jane and her friend Nora. This is the Allfather and Allmother." Thor's jovial tone seemed a bit forced. "Jane, you know of my brother Loki. Loki, this is Jane and Nora."

 

Jane sent Loki a quick glare, but turned and gave the king and queen a bright smile. It seemed after Nora's slip of the tongue, she wasn't so nervous anymore. Although, Nora wondered if Odin would just tell them to leave after her rudeness. "It's very nice to meet you both, Thor has told me so much about you."

               

Thor's mother was the first to move, giving Jane a quick hug. "Is it time we finally met. Thor has spared us no detail about you," Frigga smiled back. "He's usually so sullen if he doesn't get to see you on a trip to Midgard."

 

"Mother!" Thor exclaimed.

 

Nora didn't hear any denials though, which made her smirk slightly.

 

"And Nora," Frigga smiled politely in her queenly way.

 

"Your majesty," Nora smiled, hoping that was an appropriate way to address her. She could still feel Odin's gaze on her, but she didn't dare look back at him. She really didn't need to say something stupid again. Looking at the queen, she could see the same slightly confused look that Thor held not too long ago. Like she didn't know how to proceed with her. "You don't have to hug me if you don't want to, it's okay," Nora continued, nervously. "I know I must seem strange and a bit rude after my earlier comment but-"

 

Thankfully, Frigga wrapped her into a tight hug to prevent her from rambling even more. Nora squeezed the woman back slightly, grateful. After stepping away, Nora sent her a thankful glance before turning to Odin and giving him a tentative smile. Her mind raced quickly. Should she bow? Curtsy? Hand shake?

 

Odin saved her from making a further fool of herself by turning his attention to Thor and Jane. "We are glad to have you visit our realm. It is good to help strengthen the bond between Midgard and ourselves." An omitted "after Loki tried to take over your planet" hung in the air after Odin stopped talking. Nora thought she heard a quiet scoff from behind her that had to have been Loki. "I must go attend council meetings, I will see our guests again at dinner," Odin announced.

 

Frigga smiled at him, lovingly. "Alright, dear. Good luck."

 

Nora exhaled slowly, relieved that Odin had decided to leave. He just made her nervous and she really didn't want to insult him again.

 

"So, Jane and Nora, where would you like to visit first?" Frigga asked.

* * *

 

 Nora didn't know what she thought was cooler. The local stores, the incredible waterfalls and fountains spread throughout the city, or when they stopped to acquire new Asgardian clothes. Well, okay. The new clothes definitely ranked at the top. She was now in a long, flowy, cerulean blue dress that had golden beading laced over one shoulder. Every time the layers would billow against her legs with the breeze, she wanted to squeal with excitement.

 

Frigga escorted them from place to place with Thor, a few palace guards, and even Loki following them through Asgard. Thor and Frigga were happy to show them around and expose them to some of the customs and culture of the Asgardians. Granted, Thor tended to stick around Jane more, but Frigga made sure to spend her time equally with Jane and Nora, and even both her sons. And speaking of her sons, Loki dragged behind, bored and complaining every once in a while. After he figured out complaining wasn't getting him anywhere, he summoned a book to read as they walked. Nora was surprised he didn't collide with someone as he walked, still looking down at his book, but he maneuvered around the people with ease.

 

"Those dresses look beautiful on you," Frigga complimented as they walked. The sun had just started to set, so they had decided to return to the palace. Nora was slightly disappointed that she wouldn't get to see more of Asgard that day, but she couldn't be too upset. After all, she did have newly acquired dresses to wear while she was here.

 

Somehow by the grace of the gods, Nora had managed not to make too much of a spectacle of herself. Sure, there was the incident where she almost broke a whole shelf of glass because she was looking at a small trinket she thought Darcy would like. Someone had walked behind her, bumping into her back, sending her forward accidently. Frigga had saved the day with some quick magic, saving Nora from embarrassment and servitude to pay them off. The trinkets hadn't looked cheap.

               

Then there was the mishap at one of the elaborate fountains. She had stopped to admire all the carvings and designs in the structure. Thor was busy talking to Jane as he walked and ran right into Nora as she was stopped directly in front of them. Him running into her sent her head first into the fountain. Using his battle honed reflexes  he had caught her, but she had still managed to fall halfway into the fountain before he did so. That incident led them to acquiring the new Asgardian dresses. If Nora didn't know how much sturdier Asgardians were than humans, she knew now. Thor running into her had almost hurt. Loki mumbled something about Thor being a "clumsy oaf" if she heard correctly, but it seemed to be a good natured jab.

 

When they had arrived back at the palace once again, Loki seemed to have disappeared all together, while Frigga had told them she had a few things to take care of before leaving them. Once she left, Thor had shown Nora back to her room.

 

"We will be back to escort you to the feast, Nora. There is still a few hours beforehand, so spend the time as you wish. Jane has told me that you like books; I could have one of the servants show you the way to the library," Thor suggested. Nora noticed that he was once again holding Jane's hand.

 

_Maybe they wanted some alone time,_ she thought. She knew Thor wouldn't outright say it, lest he make her feel left out or pushed to the side, forgotten. But if she'd get to see more of the castle, then she'd give them all the time in the world. "That sounds great, Thor. Thank you," Nora smiled.

               

Thor called over a servant that was walking down the hall, and said goodbye to Nora as he led Jane away. Thor let her know they'd grab her from the library when dinner was finished. The woman looked about Nora's age, around early twenties, but looks were deceiving for the Asgardians. Living far longer than a human, they aged slower. She had a light pink dress that reached the floor,  the top reaching up to her collar bones, and it had no sleeves. Her hair was pulled back into an elegant bun, with small tendrils flowing down in soft waves. "Hello, Miss," she bowed, placing her right arm over her chest. "My name is Vie."

 

_Was that how Asgardians bowed?_  Nora wondered.

 

"…library," Vie continued.

 

_Crap!_ Nora was trying to think about how they bowed and forgot to listen to Vie, but she had caught the word library, and that was good enough for her. Nora smiled and nodded, hoping that it was an appropriate gesture to what the girl had said.

 

Vie nodded and turned. "The library is this way," she pointed, starting to walk.

 

_Phew, that could've been awkward._

 

Vie said nothing as they walked quietly down the hallways and high ceilinged walk ways. Nora couldn't help but look out past the palace, to the areas beyond. She could see the shimmering of the ocean from the horizon, and patches of trees and woodlands dotting the landscape. "It isn't much further Miss," Vie told her, still looking ahead.

 

"You don't have to call me Miss. Nora works just fine for me. Besides, it's not like I'm royalty or anything," Nora told the girl, walking beside her.

 

"But you are Prince Thor's special guest," Vie noted, seemingly caught off guard that Nora would suggest such a thing.

 

"It's really not a huge deal, Vie. If it makes you feel more comfortable to call me Miss, then go ahead, but where I'm from, people are much more casual when they address people," Nora tried to explain. Then again, she didn't know Asgardian royal customs. Maybe the girl would get into trouble if she didn't call Nora by some title.

 

"Alright… Miss Nora," Vie said quietly, as if she were testing the water. It wasn't quite the first name basis Nora had told her of, but it would have to do. "You hail from Midgard, yes?" she asked suddenly. The question seemed to escape the girl before she could help herself, because after she spoke she covered her mouth. "Forgive me, I spoke out of turn Miss Nora. I was merely curious-"

 

Nora put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder to calm her, while trying to unsuccessfully  keep the grin from pulling at her mouth. It seemed Nora wasn't the only one who spoke her thoughts without thinking. "Vie, you're fine. Yes, I came from Earth. Well, you guys call it Midgard…" Nora noticed the curiosity in the girl's eyes. They were practically brimming with questions. Unspoken questions, but they were there nonetheless. "Would you like me to tell you about it?" Nora asked.

 

"You would do that? That would be most wonderful, Miss Nora!" Vie exclaimed happily.

 

Nora laughed. Perhaps she had made herself a new Asgardian friend. "Of course! I've been shown parts of your world, it's only fair I share information about my own. How about tomorrow? You can show me around if you aren't busy. I think Thor and Jane wanted some alone time for the day anyway, so I don't think we had any plans."

 

"I will ask the Allmother," Vie beamed, yet somehow kept her composure. "Here is the library, Miss Nora. I'll be off now." Vie bowed again quickly, before turning and walking down a different corridor.

 

After pushing the large doors open, Nora walked into the huge room. Immediately, her breath was being taken away. The library was truly magnificent. Directly inside the doors, was a large open area with neat designs in the stone floor. On all sides of the open area, were large tables and chairs scattered about. Anywhere she looked, she could see humongous shelves lined with books of varying sizes and colors. There was two large stairways leading up to a second floor of the library. She spotted several window seats overlooking the scenery outside. Colored lights shone down from the large glass circle in the ceiling. It reminded her of stain glass, but it was slightly different.

 

Running over to the nearest shelf, Nora ran her fingers over all of the books. She couldn't read any of the spines, but she could still appreciate them. She couldn't help but feel a little like Belle from Beauty in the Beast, when the Beast had shown her the library. Only she didn't have a hairy, transformed beast of a prince to deal with.

 

Taking a few books from the shelf, she held it against herself and flipped through the pages. She noticed a few pictures to look at, and she set the book on a nearby table. Going back to the shelves, Nora returned to the table with an arm full of books of various sizes. She really wished she could read the Asgardian language.

 

"What are you doing in here?"

 

At the unexpected voice, Nora dropped her arm full of books onto the table, creating a loud bang. Whirling quickly, she saw Loki standing there, eyebrow raised in question. His mouth was turned down slightly. He wore dark pants, and a loose fitting green shirt underneath his usual coat, his hair slicked back.

 

"Oh, uh, hello Prince Loki," Nora greeted politely. "I was just looking at some of these books."

 

Confusion and doubt clouded his eyes. "But you can't read Asgardian," he told her like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

 

"Yeah, but there are still pictures," Nora explained, flipping open a book and showing him.

 

"I'm aware there are pictures," he responded sharply.

               

Nora was slightly taken aback at his attitude towards her. "I didn't mean to insinuate that you didn't, only my intentions here. I was merely killing time before dinner." _Jeez,_ she thought. No wonder people thought him hard to get along with.

 

He was silent for a moment, regarding her carefully. She turned back to the books, trying not to pay him any attention, but she could still feel his gaze on her. "It is customary to bow before the royal family when in their presence, Midgardian," Loki commented offhandedly, his arms behind his back, standing tall.

               

She finally looked over at him, hands pausing the turning of a page. Eyeing him curiously, she wondered where the change in attitude came from. Then she saw a small flicker of mischief in his eyes, despite his otherwise aloof façade. He meant to trick her, to try and get her to embarrass herself. _Like she needed extra help with that._

_Alright, fine,_ she smiled inwardly. She'd play his game, the liar. _Challenge accepted._ Thor had told her tales of Loki's mischief. She had an idea about how to play this. Shutting the book she was looking at, she faced Loki head on. Then she bent at the waist slightly, purposefully bowing poorly. "Was that to your liking, Prince Loki?" she asked innocently once she stood straight again.

 

"That was absolutely horrendous to behold," Loki commented, false annoyance written across his face.

 

"Then how about a curtsy, _Your Highness_?" Nora asked, falling into a low curtsey easily. She made sure to portray some irritation in her movements. Watching as his nostrils flared in annoyance at her mocking tone, Nora wanted to laugh.

 

"You mortals are so inferior," he said, bored. "You can't even show the proper respect to your superiors."

 

Nora laughed mockingly. "Funny, I thought it was us mortals who defeated you in New York." Well… she hadn't exactly meant to say that, but her mouth had a mind of her own once again. She really hoped that she hadn't crossed some sort of line. Seeing the veiled anger in his eyes, she wondered if she did.

 

Loki then snorted derisively, "As if lowly humans could have defeated me alone. They were mostly genetically altered or had weaponized suits at their disposal. Barely human in their own right as they fought me."

 

"Even so," Nora shrugged. "If you want the proper respect and formal bow, then why don't you show me, Prince Loki. As a lowly human, I have no idea how, and since you know so much…"

 

His arm shifted slightly before he caught himself. Nora smiled in her almost triumph. She had nearly gotten him to actually show her. Thor was right; Loki did like to be the one in charge, the one with all the knowledge, the one who liked to be right all the time. He almost couldn't stop himself from correcting her. Finally, like a switch, the anger and annoyance fled from his face, replaced by the earlier mischief. "I see what you're up to, human. Well played. Pray tell how you knew I was lying," he smirked.

 

Nora chuckled, relieved. He knew that she had been calling him out on his lie about bowing to him. "Thor already explained I wouldn't have to bow to you or him since I was a guest on his behalf. Although, he did tell me that I probably should have at least bowed a little to your parents." Even remembering caused Nora to fill with embarrassment. A crappy bow would have been infinitely better than her comment on his eye patch.

 

Loki burst into genuine laughter for a few moments, filling the library with it. Nora didn't think he did that too often by the way he stopped himself soon after. "Yes, Thor told me of your meeting with the Allfather. I only wish I could have been there to witness it."

 

"It wasn't funny," Nora sulked. "It was mortifying." She sat  down in the nearest chair to flip through her books she gathered.  Loki went about looking through the shelves nearby. She eyed the illustrations of proud warriors and odd creatures. Some creatures were large and abnormal to anything she had ever seen, and others looked very similar to those on Earth.  Pictures of battles were drawn elegantly on the pages. On a particular page she stopped on, she looked at the large warriors with creative looking markings on their skin. "Hey, Prince Loki," she called over to him. "Who are these people?" She held up the book for him to see as he turned.

 

Instantly, she watched as his demeanor changed again. He became tense and his hands clenched into fists. The look that crossed his face scared her slightly.

 

"Loki?" she asked tentatively, forgetting the respectful title. Loki stood there silently for a moment before he turned and stalked further into the library, leaving her alone.

 

_What the heck did she do?_


	3. Chapter 3

Nora didn't see Loki again until he breezed past her table to the large library doors. She could faintly smell food as the door opened. "Wait!" Nora called after him, running to catch up to his long strides. Once she neared Loki, she reached out her hand to try and grab his arm. "Hey, wait up!" she huffed again. Jeez, he walked fast! It didn't help that he was so much taller than she was. Were all Asgardians tall by default?

 

Nora's hand grasped his shirt as he started to vanish from sight. Suddenly, the world blacked out and blurred back into focus within seconds. Intense dizziness invaded her mind as her legs gave out, sending her to her knees. Her brain couldn't seem to focus  and she felt nauseous.

 

"What do you think you're doing?" Loki's voice snapped from above her. She tried to focus on his boots and keep the world from spinning.

 

"Well, you wouldn't wait up," Nora complained, taking a deep breath. She would not vomit! She would not vomit…

 

"Perhaps there was a reason for that," came his reply. Even though he was clearly aggravated, he didn't move to walk away.

 

Nora took shaky deep breaths as the dizziness flowed away gradually. Her stomach was still a bit upset, but she felt much better after a few seconds. "Did I do something to offend you? You stormed off and then you wouldn't wait for me," she asked him, pushing herself on her knees to stand again. _Or are you bipolar?_  she wanted to continue, but managed to keep from voicing the question.

 

"I'm a prince, I wait for no one," Loki muttered.

 

Nora huffed at his automatic retort. "Yeah, and clearly you don't _talk_ to anyone either," she rolled her eyes. Then she looked around, noticing they were near the dining area. People walked passed them and into the large room, paying them little to no attention. Loki went to retort something else when a few Asgardians walked by, looking at him strangely. He remained quiet for a moment, then turned on his heel and disappeared into the dining area.

 

Seriously, what was his problem?

 

"Nora?" Jane's voice called from down the hallway.

 

"Hey guys," Nora waved, turning to look at Jane and Thor as they made their way to her.

 

"What are you doing in the hallway? Not to sound mean, but how did you find your way here? We went to the library to look for you, but no one was in there."

 

"Oh, uh… Well… I think I accidently teleported with Loki as he left the library," Nora tried to explain. "We ended up here."

 

"My brother teleported you here? Where is he?" Thor asked, looking around the hall. When he couldn’t find him, he turned his attention back to Nora curiously.

 

"Well, Mr. Crankypants took off. I don't know what set him off, but he's in a mood," she muttered, crossing her arms.

 

Thor gave her a knowing smile of understanding. "My brother can be…difficult sometimes. Anyway, it's time to eat!" Thor ushered the two inside, sitting near his friends once again. Everything was similar to the night before. Fandral flirting with random women (he even tried to flirt with Nora), Sif immediately hit him in the back of the head, but he just laughed. Nora was drawn into Volstagg's stories again, he was quite the story teller. Laughing at one of their hunting stories, Nora noticed that Loki was sitting by himself near a corner. He was reading again, still looking unhappy.

 

_Why doesn't he join them?_ She wondered. Surely sitting alone was boring… Then she shrugged. He was fully capable of making decisions for himself. If he wanted to sit alone, she wouldn't bother him. Then she turned to Jane. "Did you enjoy your alone time earlier?" Nora asked while the others were distracted by yet another story.

 

Nora noticed Jane and Thor blush slightly and she sent Jane a smirk. "Well… Thor showed me some of their magical equipment that helps find fluctuations in the inter-dimensional-"

 

"Okay, okay," Nora laughed, cutting her off. "You know all that super techy talk goes right over my head. How about something I don't have to get a headache thinking about?" Thor laughed along as well, agreeing with Nora. It seemed most of the tech talk went over his head as well.

 

"Right, sorry. Well, we looked at the machines, checked out the training ground since Thor promised to help his friends train, then he showed me around the gardens."

 

"You have a garden?" Nora asked automatically, then shook her head. "Of course you do, I don't know why I asked." Maybe she could see the garden tomorrow. Were there plants like Earth's, or were there some strange and exotic looking plants?

 

A gentle hand on Nora's shoulder paused their conversation. Nora looked over her shoulder to see Frigga standing there. The others bowed their head, addressing her appropriately. "Hello, everyone," she greeted. Then she turned to Nora. "Nora, Vie has asked me if she could help show you around while you are here. I just wanted to make sure that was alright with you."

 

"Oh, yes. That would be great, Your Highness," Nora responded trying to sound a bit refined. She was pretty sure she failed.

 

Frigga nodded and walked over to Thor, leaning in close to him. "Thor, do you know what ails your brother? He seems a bit…despondent tonight…" she asked quietly. Thor immediately turned to look for his brother who was now gone from the room.

 

Thor shook his head. "No, Mother. I haven't spoken with him since earlier this morning when we walked around Asgard."

 

Nora felt a little responsible, but she wasn't sure what set him off. Maybe he was actually upset about her calling him out on his lie about bowing to him… Although he had seemed fine after that. Before she showed him the pictures in the books.

 

Frigga looked towards the door, a sense of worry surrounding her. She gave all of them one last smile, before leaving. Nora assumed she was looking for Loki. She just shook her head, focusing on the conversation at the table. Sif and the Warriors Three were trying to convince Thor to join them during their training session the next day.

 

"Maybe with you here Jane, he'll try to show off and get too cocky and make a mistake," Fandral snickered. "Then we can finally beat him in a match." Thor just laughed and shook his head. It seemed this wasn't the first time they had challenged him. They all stayed at the table long after the food was gone and most of the people had left.

 

* * *

 

 

"Whoa…" Nora whispered, leaning closer to the flowers.  She was walking through the gardens on the south side of the palace. Vie had woke Nora up early that morning, excited to get to know more about Earth. Vice versa, Nora was excited to learn more about Asgard.

 

Nora bent her legs, flaring out her dress to make sure it wouldn't get stuck in the flowers. She had on a long royal blue dress with silvery lace patterns that started at the halter straps and down to her skirt that flared out slightly. 

 

Looking closely, she saw there were plenty of tiny little bulbs of various colors and sizes. Some of the flowers did resemble those on Earth, but some were also very alien.  One flower was over two feet tall, and was twisted slightly. It reminded Nora of the structure of DNA, only way prettier. Its colors started with dark purples and greens near the bottom, and as it rose, they turned into light pinks and yellows. Small white veins could be seen running through the flower if she looked close enough.

 

Vie laughed as Nora leaned down to get a closer look. "So what were these cell phones you mentioned?" Vie asked. Nora had made a deal with the girl, a question for a question.

 

"Well, they can let you talk to anyone anywhere if you have the right number. They're mostly for communication, unless you have a smart phone, which nearly everyone does. Then you can use it for the internet." This time it was Nora's turn to laugh at Vie's lost expression. But then Nora sighed. "It would be much easier to show you, but I didn’t bring my phone with me, not that it would work here anyway," she paused.  "I'm sure I'm not making any sense to you."

 

The woman shook her head. "Midgard sounds like a wonderful place."

 

"It can be," Nora replied. "But Asgard is totally cool too! Or maybe it's because it's so different from here that I think that. I was looking up pictures and illustrations in books from the library yesterday-" she stopped mid-sentence as an idea occurred to her. "Hey, Vie, let's go to the library real quick."

 

* * *

 

 

"Jotunheim is one of the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil, connected by the Bifrost. Jotunheim is home to the race known as Jotuns, or Frost Giants…" Vie read aloud to her. She set the book on the table they were sitting at. "Why did you want me to read this to you?"

 

"I was just curious as to what the picture was. I can't read your language after all," Nora explained with an easy smile. That also happened to be what she tried to show Loki yesterday before he turned grumpy and stormed off. "So what are these Jot-whatevers? You said Frost Giants?"

 

Vie nodded solemnly. "They were once great enemies of the realm for a long time. They had even attacked Midgard once, trying to take over. They're beings who specialize in magic. They infiltrated this realm a while back at Thor's coronation ceremony, but after a quick fight with the Destroyer they were defeated. Only the Allfather was able to stand up to their leader long ago. I've heard they were quite fearsome and formidable opponents in battle."

 

Nora nodded along with Vie's explanation, her brain trying to piece together information that didn't make sense to her. Why would Loki get angry at her showing him pictures of these people? She was definitely missing something. Maybe she'd ask Thor or Jane about it later. After all, they knew more about Loki than she did. She hardly knew anything. "Thanks, Vie. Oh, can you tell me what the heck this creature is? It's definitely freaky looking," Nora asked, shifting the conversation. It wasn't too difficult. Nora had plenty of questions about the illustrations in these books. She loved to learn of new things and Vie was more than happy to help her out.

 

It wasn't long before Vie had told her that it was almost lunch time. Vie excused herself for a bit, she had to go and assist with the meal preparations. Apparently, a few of the other servants were sick so Vie had offered to help. Nora told her it was fine, she'd just sit in the library until Vie got back. She'd have plenty to entertain her.

 

She flipped through several books, placing names with images that Vie had told her. Then she came upon pictures of the Frost Giants again. This picture held an army of the giants fighting against an army of Asgardians. Nora chewed the end of her thumbnail, trying to figure out what the connection was between these people and Loki's sudden attitude problem. Had he fought them before? Had they hurt someone he had cared about? Or did the general dislike for the Frost Giants Vie had told her about, resonate strongly with the second prince? Nora sat there, her mind racing, coming up with crazy ideas. She felt as though the answer was staring at her in the face. It would help if she knew more about the guy. All she really knew was that he had tried to take over New York a few years prior, and that he was punished for his crimes.

 

A low growl snapped Nora from her thoughts as she sat in a large bay window. Looking over she saw Loki  glowering down at her. "There are two of you mortals in this realm and it seems no matter where I go, one of you is always there," he muttered angrily. "Is it your intention to drive me into insanity?"

 

Nora looked at him incredulously. All she was doing was sitting there! Minding her own business. What the heck was his problem now?

 

"I will not fall for your idiotic mortal schemes," he continued. "Leave this library now."

 

Nora flung her legs over the ledge of the seat, planting her feet firmly on the ground, irritation clear in her posture. "Okay, what is your deal with me? I've barely spoken to you at all, and yet you're snapping at me with an attitude. I'm not sure why you've decided to hate me, but whatever. Had you not even said anything, I wouldn't have even known you were there."

 

Something flashed in his eyes.

 

"You seem to have a high sense of self, Prince Loki, to think I would merely stay inside the library to try and annoy you with my very presence," Nora continued. "I have better things to do."

 

"Oh really?" he asked rhetorically. "Then why do you mock me at every opportunity?"

 

That question gave Nora pause. Seriously, just what was going on inside his head? Had she insulted him somehow unintentionally?  She wouldn't put it past herself to do so… Accidently, of course.

 

At her confused expression, he continued. "Why do you mock me with the title of "Prince"? It is not as though you are saying it with sincerity, or you would address my brother in the same manner. Therefore, if you are not saying it with sincerity, it must be with insult that you address me as such."

 

Nora just continued to stare at him, unsure what to say. She wondered how he could think she was mocking him when she had only talked to him less than a handful of times. Then she took a deep breath, trying to rid herself of irritated astonishment. "Look, I only call you "Prince" because you're a prince of Asgard. Nothing more," she told him calmly. _Not that he was acting like one._  "I don't address Thor as such, because he has already told me not to. I figured it was still respectful to call you "Prince" since I didn't really know you yet. How you thought I was mocking you, I'll never know," she sighed.

 

Wait… the only way he'd think she was mocking him, would be if others mocked him the same way, wouldn’t it?. Was he not used to being called by his title respectfully? Nora didn’t know about much about royalty, much less Asgardian royalty, but she typically knew to call those in power with their titles. Even she wasn't as absentminded to be like "Hey Odin…" to the man who reigned as King.

 

Loki opened his mouth to say something, but Nora continued before he could. "Do others mock you like that? But why would they…" she trailed off. Why would they mock him if he was a prince of the realm? The people seemed to recognize Thor as a prince with little problem. Did they not accept Loki as their prince? But why wouldn’t they? Sure, he had tried to attack Earth, but it seemed like more. Surely, they wouldn't still be put out by that. Even the Avengers were over it, according to Jane. His anger also seemed new, as he was generally fine when they had talked yesterday. Did something happen? Or had something been happening for a while now?

 

"It is none of your business, human. Now leave," Loki demanded again. Nora noticed a few of the shelves tremble slightly.

 

"Why wouldn't you be considered their prince?" she wondered, almost inaudibly. Surely they would recognize one of their own. Which he was, wasn't he? "You are Odin's son, aren't you?" She felt like she was onto something… maybe. She watched his eyes flash with denial as he carefully blanked his face.  She chuckled. "I'll take that as a no, then. So you were adopted, so what? That shouldn't matter much-"

 

"Just be silent, human!" Loki all but growled at her.

 

Slightly afraid and intimidated, Nora backed over to the table near the window, putting the table in between the two of them. She looked down at the books, but as soon as she looked down, they were being swept off the table by an invisible force. She felt the air thicken with what she assumed was his magic. He was trying to scare her.

 

"Oh, real mature, _Loki_ ," she grumbled, emphasizing his name purposefully. She bent down to pick them up, noticing the one was still open to the page on Jotenheim. She eyed the page, something starting to click.  _”Beings who specialize in magic"_ Vie had told her… he was adopted… Nora had assumed he was adopted from somewhere on Asgard, but what if he wasn't? His sudden anger at even being shown the pictures…

 

"Are you one of these Jot-whatevers?" Nora asked, quietly, the idea sounding crazy to her.

 

She immediately regretted her mouth overruling her brain. Everything seemed to still for a moment, before the library doors slammed shut by themselves. Nora flinched at the sudden noise, still kneeled down to the ground. She automatically looked at Loki. He instantly blurred as he moved quickly, grabbing her by the throat and hauling her up to a standing position.

 

She had a feeling her curiosity has just taken another one of her metaphoric feline lives. And maybe her real one, judging from the rage on Loki's face.


	4. Chapter 4

Nora was no longer angry at Loki anymore. Now she was just terrified of him as he held her with ease up against the shelves by her throat. "Loki, let me go," she gasped, trying to pull his hand away. She didn't even budge him.

 

He snarled at her, squeezing his hand fractionally tighter than it had been before. "I'll be damned into Helheim if you think I'm going to let you walk out of here so you can tell everyone. It is bad enough Thor's idiot friend knows, and now you. I just got my home back, Norns forbid I let it be taken away again so soon!" Loki's rage filled eyes gave way to a sense of desperation.

 

What did he mean he lost his home?

 

"I won't tell anyone, Loki," she tried again, having little hope that he'd actually just let her go. "You're actually the one who told me."

 

"And how did I do that?" he asked snarling slightly. He released her enough so she could talk comfortably, and breath normally.

 

Inhaling huge lung fills of air, Nora tried to calm herself.  Thor had told her that his brother liked to think methodically. He didn't seem prone to outburst s of emotion like the one he was displaying. Something must have been eating away at him for a while. "You freaked when I showed you the pictures. If you hadn't I would've never known."

 

She watched him search her eyes for any sign of lies or deceit. Suddenly, his hand was gone and she coughed while rubbing her throat. He walked over to the nearest table and leaned forward on his hands, head bowed slightly. Nora took a few steps away from him. In an instant, Loki snatched the book with the Frost Giants and slammed it shut on the table, turning his gaze to her again. "If you even think of telling anyone about this, or hinting as its truth, I will make you wish for death long before I grant it to you."

 

A shudder forced its way through Nora. He was completely serious. She nodded slowly. "I'll keep it a secret, but not because you threatened me." She wanted to smack herself. God, she was an idiot!  Apparently, she had a death wish. His eyes narrowed, and she raised her arms in a hopefully placating gesture. "It's not my secret to tell. Not _my_ life that it would affect."

 

He watched her again, gauging her for lies.

 

Nora sighed at him pitifully. "Jeez, don't you trust anyone?" Only silence answered her, but it gave her the answer to her question. "You don't have any friends?"

 

"I have one," he grumbled like a petulant child proving her wrong, but otherwise in control of himself again. "But she isn't here."

 

"Well, you can trust me," she told him, still faintly rubbing her throat. "If I make a promise, I keep it to the best of my ability."

 

Loki regarded her again. "I doubt it," he murmured, turning on his heel again to walk away from the library. Nora watched slightly fascinated as the doors opened and shut on their own as he left.

 

She stood there, wondering what had drove him to explode like that. After a few moments, she shrugged it off, bending to pick the fallen books up off the floor. She could guess facts well enough, but guessing what someone was thinking was nearly impossible. Especially for someone like Loki who was all over the place.

* * *

 

 

Everything that had transpired kept replaying through her mind, and she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the prince.  Not wanting to stay inside the library anymore, Nora wandered the halls aimlessly, no real destination in mind. She passed several windows overlooking Asgard as she walked, and once again she was taken by the foreign beauty that it held. She walked by several sitting areas, a couple large rooms that radiated heat that she figured must have been the kitchens, and even an open bathing area for the Asgardians. Nora had froze in momentary shock as several people walked around  almost, to completely,  nude. Seeing more than she had bargained for, she darted away. She was glad Thor had the foresight to give her a room with its own bathing space.

 

Eventually, she found her way to one of the training grounds that Thor and his friends were currently sparring in. Jane was sitting to the side on a large bench, and Nora plopped down next to her. "Hey, Jane."

 

"Hi Nora," Jane replied, smiling. Her smile fell as she looked at Nora. "What happened to your throat?"

 

"Oh, uh," _think Nora, think!_ "I had my hand curled underneath my chin in the library for a while." Thankfully, Jane just shrugged, turning her attention back to the sparring match going on. Nora watched as the warriors taunted each other in between serious bouts of attacking and defending. "So Jane, when are we leaving for Earth?"

 

Jane wondered for a moment. "Two more days. The rest of the day today, all day tomorrow, and we're leaving the next day. I told Erik I'd try to be home around lunch."

 

Nora nodded, a little sad that her vacation was nearing its end. 

 

When the others were done sparring, they all walked over and Jane handed them towels to help wipe themselves off. They expressed their appreciation as they tried to wipe their faces. "We should do this more often," Fandral laughed.

 

"We will my friends," Thor smiled, clapping him on the shoulder.  The warriors bowed slightly and walked away. Thor smiled down at Jane and Nora and told them he was going to clean up quickly, and that he'd meet them at lunch. He walked away and looked back once he neared the doorway, and Jane waved him goodbye. He waved back at her and almost ended up running into the wall as he looked back at them. Nora stifled a laugh behind her hand as he then disappeared quickly. She found it humorous that he was trying to adopt some earthly ways.

 

"Come on Jane, let's go find lunch," Nora suggested, standing up.

 

"You know your way to the dining area?" Jane laughed. They started walking and Nora noticed the woman' s elegant red dress. Hmm…maybe she should have picked a red dress.

 

"You got me," Nora snickered. She was glad Jane knew her well enough to joke about her having no sense of direction.  She thought of her friendship with the scientist, and even Thor. She had friends around her, unlike  Mr. Crankypants.

* * *

 

A loud knocking on her door woke Nora up once again. Nora groaned and squinted at the light invading her room. It still appeared to be early morning. Couldn't she sleep in at least a little? For one day?

 

She slumped over to the door, still slightly clumsy with sleep. Her sweat pants dragged across the floor, and she straightened her tank top. "Look Vie, we've talked about this," Nora complained, rubbing her eyes and opening the door. "Don't wake me up for another few-"

 

Nora froze, no longer tired. It wasn't Vie at her door. It was Loki. He wore his usual coat over his dark clothing, his hair pushed back reaching the edges of his collar. He wore a charming smile that Nora couldn’t help but feel uneasy about. "Umm… Loki?" she managed to ask slowly, unsure as to what was happening. Why was he here? She could vividly recall the dark glares he sent her way during dinner the previous night. She couldn't imagine why he'd actively seek her out.

 

The charming smile didn't falter. "I am here to escort you around today, Midgardian. As Thor's guest, you should be shown Asgard at its finest. It is only fitting a member of the royal family should be the one to do so. The Allfather and Mother are busy, and Thor is with his mortal woman," he explained smoothly.

 

Nora looked past Loki into the hallway, thinking that he'd have a couple guards go with them, or at least someone else to accompany them. She found no one. Why would he want to be alone all day with her-

 

"No…" she dragged out the word, quirking an eyebrow at him. She felt like an idiot, but she'd blame it on the fact that she had just woken up  "You're here to make sure I don't go blabbing my mouth to anyone. I'm not stupid, despite what you may think."  Nora expected him to drop the smile and walk away sulking. He didn’t and she just looked at him. "Anyway, Vie was supposed to be the one showing me around."

 

"I have informed my mother of the changes in plan. While surprised, she did not argue. In fact, she quite approved of the new plan," Loki told her, still standing tall, hands behind his back.

 

Nora narrowed her eyes at him in irritation. She really wanted to slam the door in his face, but figured that would be rude. "Fine," she grumbled, not seeing a way out of it. However, her slight frown turned into a grin. "But I choose where we go all day. It's my last day in Asgard, and I want to see _everything._ " She released the door, letting its weight shut itself in his face. God of mischief, ha! She'd give him a run for his money.

* * *

 

"This is really good!" Nora approved, taking a bite of the sweet treat in her hands. So far she had made Loki show her most of the castle. She had lost count of all the rooms and halls they passed. At one point, she thought Loki may have been just walking her in circles. Then she made him take her through the gardens again. Next was the city, through all the shops and stores. She wouldn't deny picking some shops that she wasn't even interested in, just to see how long he'd keep up the gentleman façade.

 

"I'm glad you like it," he responded casually, still walking beside her. Nora had wanted to stop inside a small building that Loki had informed her was a sweet shop of sorts. Hesitant at first in case he was trying to trick her, she quickly found he was telling the truth. She was now munching on something that resembled rock candy, but tasted sweet like honey. "Where to now?" he asked, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

 

"Hmmm…" she thought. She was running out of ideas of places to drag him to. "Oh! I want to go see the ocean. I saw it when we crossed the bridge and from a distance, but never up close."

 

Loki nodded his agreement, and steered them towards their destination.  As Nora walked, she was glad that today's dress was a bit shorter and easier for walking around. The dress was a deep pink color and fell in layers around her shins, slightly shimmering in the daylight. Her shoes that she had picked out were short strappy boots that went above her ankle and had a slight heel.

 

While they walked, Loki generally remained silent. He only spoke when asking the next destination, or answering a question Nora may have had. He still walked tall, hands behind his back. No signs of irritation or his readiness to drop the tour guide idea of his.

 

"Wow," Nora whispered as they reached the beach. She took off running towards the water, but stopped to take her shoes off. She tugged at her boots, nearly falling over a couple times, before she finally got them off. Instantly, she darted off towards the water, leaving her shoes behind. She felt like a kid when her toes sank into the sand and the water rushed over her feet. The water was slightly chilly compared to the warm weather around her, so she rubbed her arms quickly.

 

"What's wrong human, don't like the cold?" Loki taunted from the beach.

 

She made a face at him, throwing her arms out and feeling the breeze rush up against her. "I don't mind the cold at all, actually. I like all kinds of weather." She turned and looked at the sky as it started turning into pale pinks and oranges. Far off in the distance, Nora could see the endless span of space. Looking around she saw buildings placed sporadically, and even a portion of the Bifrost.

 

Eyeing a large chunk of something solid, Nora left the water and sat down. It felt cold and hard like concrete, but it was smooth as glass. She dried her feet while brushing sand away from her legs. "You can sit, you know," Nora told Loki as he stood there. There was at least another four feet of space on the chunk of whatever she was sitting on. He just looked out at the water, eyes looking conflicted. "Or don’t, it's up to you," she shrugged, pulling on her boots.

 

"You don't appear to be afraid of me," Loki said suddenly.

 

Nora looked up at him. "Well, you aren't exactly scary right now."

 

"I could kill you out here and no one would be able to find you," he said casually, like he may have been thinking about ways to get rid of her.

 

She smiled, unable to help the small chuckle that escaped her. "I would find that scary, but you already told your mother that you'd be with me all day. If I don't come back, it would be rather suspicious, don't ya think?" She thought she heard a small sigh escape him over the sound of the crashing waves, but she couldn’t be sure. "Anyway, there's one more place I want to go. I want to see the Bifrost again."

 

When no immediate reply came, she looked back at him. He was looking out towards the bridge. "You're sitting on a piece of it," he told her, looking towards the bridge still.

 

"I'm sorry?"

 

He took a deep breath. "I may have been partially responsible for the destruction of the Bifrost a while back. As you can see, it has been repaired since."

 

Her eyes widened. "You destroyed the Bifrost?" Then she frowned. "You know, I don't know much about you. Or Thor really. Just some stories Jane and Darcy have told me about Thor, but not a whole lot on you. Care to share?" She couldn't deny she wanted to figure out the man next to her, or Thor even. She wanted to know their stories.

 

"No," he answered, starting to walk away.

 

Nora scoffed and ran after him. Typical. It only took her a few seconds to catch up. "So you're going with the mysterious guy thing?" she joked.

 

"No," he answered again, facing straight ahead.

 

She grinned. "Your one word answers beg to differ. You're not saying anything, hence mysterious." That  time he didn't reply. He merely walked ahead, face carefully blank. "You know," Nora began again at his silence. "You don't have to show me around.  Don't feel forced to stick with me because you think I'll tell someone about you. Seeing Asgard isn't fun with someone who isn't even enjoying  their self." She pointed ahead of them. "I can see the bridge from here, and I'm sure I can manage to make it to the palace," she told him.

 

He stopped and looked at her curiously. When he made no move to argue with her, or to continue towards the Bifrost, Nora just gave him a small smile and kept walking ahead. He made no move to follow her.

 

She really didn't know how to take him. But she was right about one thing. She knew she'd have a lot more fun if the person showing her around wasn't practically sulking the whole time she explored. She needed Thor or one of his friends to show her around, someone fun and outgoing. They would have probably gotten in the water with her, even if it was just their feet.

 

_Oh well,_ she shrugged.  She'd enjoy the time she had left regardless.

 

She jogged once she reached the large gate-like structures of the beginning of the bridge. The large pillars towered over her, reaching high into the sky. As she walked by, she put her hand out, trailing it across the smooth metal.

 

"Are you going to make it onto the actual bridge anytime soon, or is this what you wanted to see?"

 

Nora didn't turn at the voice, but she couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips. "Oh, I'm getting to the bridge. Why rush? Did you decide to quit being so sullen?"

 

"Perhaps," came Loki's answer. "But I would suggest you hurry, unless you want to miss dinner?"

 

Was this his way of trying to apologize? Or was she looking too into it?

 

Mentally shrugging, she made her way onto the bridge. As she walked, she looked down at the bridge. She watched the energy flowing through the bridge, and she even noticed that her footsteps left little bright spots as she walked. She could see the ocean waves through the bridge. However, she started getting dizzy trying to focus through the bridge, so she looked up instead.

 

Once she made it to the lookout, the man that operated the Bifrost turned to them. Nora still got the impression that he was looking at her and looking at several other things all at once.

 

"Hello," she greeted, waving at the man a bit awkwardly.

 

"Hello, Nora," the man smiled kindly.

 

"How did-" she began, but Loki answered her question before she could finish it.

 

"He knows _almost_ everything in the Nine Realms. Heimdall is the _great_ Gatekeeper." Nora couldn’t help but almost feel the sarcasm roll off Loki.

 

"Almost?" Nora asked. Wait, the guy could see anything in space? She wondered how that worked.

 

"The second prince likes to think he's humorous," Heimdall commented in a falsely respectful tone.

 

"You say that, but you did not see my approach, did you?" Loki taunted. Heimdall shot him a look of pure irritation.

 

Nora looked back and forth, not sure what was going on. Clearly they both held some sort of animosity towards the other. She stood there unsure what to do or say.

 

"Perhaps not," Heimdall answered Loki. "I see no need to try and watch the only outcast of the royal family sulk about."

 

Nora's mouth opened slightly in shock.

 

"Watch your tongue Heimdall," Loki threatened quietly.

 

The man turned his back to them, going back to watching the universe. "I am loyal to the Allfather and to Asgard, _Prince._ Not you. You've done nothing to earn my respect. Did you think dying would change my opinion of you? That was not much compensation in my vast opinion. Dying is easy."

 

_Oh, snap…_ Nora thought, dumbfounded. She watched as Loki's eyes flashed dangerously and Heimdall still kept his back to them. How did she manage to get herself into these weird situations?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review if you feel so inclined. Reviews make me a better writer! They're like magic to me.


	5. Chapter 5

Nora took a few steps forward in between the two, raising her arms a bit. Not that she could stop them if they wanted to fight. "Okay, okay, everyone calm down," Nora said nervously, trying to distract them. What did he mean Loki died? He was standing right next to her. Never mind, she'd worry about it later. "So Heimdall, you can see Earth right now? And everyone on it?"

 

Heimdall turned to her, ignoring Loki completely. "Yes, why do you ask?"

 

"I was going to see if you could check up on Darcy for me. She got sick before we left, and I was wondering if she was alright. She's Jane's friend and-"

 

"I know of your adopted cousin," Heimdall told her, smiling slightly. "She is most amusing for a mortal." He turned again, looking out into the depths of space. He was silent for a while, leaving Nora to wonder if he'd answer her or not. Should she leave now?

 

"She is doing well now. She's sleeping on the living room couch. Erik Selvig is with her," Heimdall finally answered, back still turned.

 

Nora nodded her thanks. "That's good. A bit surprised she isn't complaining about being sick and driving Erik crazy, but I suppose she needs to sleep too. Thank you Heimdall." He merely bowed his head in acknowledgement. She sensed the slight air of finality, and took that as her leave to head back. She gave him a quick wave, unsure if he saw it. Then she figured he did if he could see Earth. Seriously, how did he see everything?

 

She started walking, unsure if Loki would follow or stay back to fight with Heimdall. She had no interest of getting in between them again. Being choked once was already past her limit of physical confrontation for the next lifetime.

 

After walking for almost two minutes and reaching the halfway point of the bridge, did Loki finally teleport next to her as she walked. At his sudden appearance, Nora nearly jumped a foot in the air, letting out a shriek. She also instinctively threw her arm out in a slapping motion, but he just caught her arm and released her just as quickly. He stomped a little harder than necessary as he walked, showing no signs of an actual fight.

 

Nora hurried to catch up as he walked faster in his anger. Seriously, did everyone have to be so dang tall?

 

"Will you wait? Slow down? Seriously, at this point I think you'd crawl faster than I walk," Nora called, muttering the last part under her breath. When he didn’t respond except to continue storming off, Nora took a deep breath and sprinted past him, stopping a few feet in front of him. She held out her hands in front of her."Stop, will ya?"

 

"Why?!" He snapped at her. At his outburst, Nora flinched slightly, but held her ground. His chest heaved with each sharp breath and he looked furious.

 

"Just talk, jeez. Say something, you don't even have to really say it to me, although talking to yourself might make you look crazy, but you need to calm down a little," she told him, trying to lighten the mood. It was really all she could do.

 

"I don’t _need_ to do anything," he glared at her. "I don't take orders from you or anyone."

 

 _Jeez, here we go._ "I never said you did! But I don't think it's a good idea going back to the palace all pissed off is a good idea," she snapped back. Oh crap… She just lost another feline life by the look he gave her. She really should work on getting control of herself more.

 

He was silent for a minute, still breathing heavily in his anger. She took a few hesitant steps backwards, lowering her arms. She watched him mutter something as he looked away.

 

"What?" she asked.

 

"Why?"

 

Her face scrunched up. "Why what?"

 

He let loose a sound of frustration from the back of his throat. "Why do you care?" he growled, eyes trained on her again.

 

"Look, I'm just being friendly, alright? You look like you need some help." He went to say something else but she cut him off. "What that help is, I don't know. You seem to like arguing though, so I guess that kind of helps. I don't know you very well, but I've gathered enough to get a pretty basic picture. You need a friend, or at least a friendly acquaintance."

 

"I don't need friends," he responded automatically.

 

She sighed, shaking her head. "You're like child. Tell you one thing, so you do another. I've been there, I was just like you."  Although, she was a child at the time. Dang, was she that annoying as a kid? She felt sorry for her parents. Well, adoptive parents. Maybe she should apologize when she returned. She was certain that she wasn't nearly as bad as Loki; she didn't think anyone could be that infuriatingly stubborn, but still.

 

She watched as curiosity gave way to some of the anger in his eyes, but he still remained silent.

 

"Are you calmed down a little now so we can _walk_ back? Or are you going to disappear and let me go hungry? In case you hadn't noticed, I get a little lost sometimes. I could end up in another realm before I got to the castle," she joked, still trying to lighten the mood. She knew she wasn't that bad. Besides, who could miss the humongous golden palace? She could see it from there. As she expected, he huffed but continued to walk at a normal pace.

 

 _Phew,_ she mentally sighed, closing her eyes in relief.

 

They walked through the city again, caught in an uncomfortable silence. Nora kept shooting him quick glances, unsure if he was truly calmed down. She supposed he hadn't tried to hurt her this time when she yelled at him, so that was progress right? Maybe?

 

Once they reached the palace gates, the beautiful night sky swallowed the last sliver of daylight. Torches of light were spread throughout the grounds, lighting the paths back into the palace. Nora was a bit distracted looking up into the Asgardian cosmos above her. The moons glowed softly, only making the sky look darker and the stars brighter. She had walked a good ten feet before realizing Loki wasn't walking anymore. She turned to find him looking down, uncertain. "Loki?"

 

He took a bracing breath. "Forgive my rudeness displayed thus far."

 

Nora burst into quiet laughter, making his attention snap towards her. "Man that was almost painful, wasn't it? That was probably the worst apology ever. It actually sounded like an order more than an apology."

 

His nostrils flared, and he grit his teeth. "I ask that you forgive me earlier actions," he muttered unhappily.

 

Nora just continued to laugh and turned to keep walking. She couldn't help it! She tried pressing her lips together, but it wouldn't contain her quiet laughter. She kept walking, trying not to laugh in his face. He had tried, she guessed. He failed miserably, but he tried, and she figured that it was a rare occurrence. She barely made it five steps before he teleported in front of her.

 

"Pray tell what it is that you find humorous."

 

She tried to stop the grin from pulling at her mouth, she really did. "Well, you've _told_ me to forgive you, and you've asked for forgiveness, but you have actually yet to apologize."

 

He looked at her for a moment, a strange look passing over his features.

 

"Penny for your thoughts?" Nora asked. Silence answered her, which she assumed would be his answer. She just shrugged and moved around him to the inside of the palace.

 

"You reminded me of someone just now," he finally responded, still behind her.

 

"Oh?" she called back, still walking. "And who would that be? The mystery friend?" She heard Loki's steps eat up the space she had created.

 

"Yes."

 

"I'm going to have to meet this mystery friend one day," she smiled at him.

 

"Perhaps." Then he looked over at her. "What did you mean you were "like me"?

 

Out of habit with him, she almost responded jokingly, but she realized the question was genuinely curious. "I know what's it like to be adopted. To feel out of place. Granted, most people feel out of place at some point in their lives. To feel like the odd one out, like you're unwanted, it's a hard thing to deal with," she told him, trying to explain.  "I don't know what all you've gone through, and believe me when I say I have questions, but I _think_ I have an idea where you're coming from."

 

She could feel his gaze on her as they walked through the large palace halls, but this time the silence wasn't so uncomfortable.

* * *

 

 

"Nora!" Jane's voice yelled.

 

"Hey, Jane," Nora greeted. Jane and Thor were waiting outside the dining hall.

 

"Where've you been? I almost had Thor send out a search party for you." Jane's half joking smile faltered when she saw Loki standing nearby.

 

"Oh, Loki showed me around today, that's all. I knew you wanted some alone time with Thor for the day, and Loki offered," she told her friend, glad she had someone to watch out for her.

 

"He did, did he?" Thor asked, watching his brother curiously.

 

"Yep," Nora nodded. "Now let's eat! I'm starving. I haven't had anything since the sweet shop earlier." Her stomach growled as she spoke and the many smells invaded her nose. She looked at Thor's cape as he walked, and she clapped him on the arm. "And I really need to talk to you about getting a cool cape like yours. I've only got half a day left."

 

Thor laughed and nodded, saying he might have an old one she could have, while leading them to a table surrounded by merry people and stories aplenty.  Nora had tried everything Thor had pushed her way. Jane kept trying to explain something they had looked at during the day. From what Nora caught, it was science mumbo jumbo to her, but she laughed as Thor tried to keep up. She no longer felt Loki's glares on her like the previous night, but every once in a while she felt like she was being watched. Vie had come over and joined them at the table. Making up for lost time, Vie had dived right into her seemingly endless questions about Earth. Between Jane and Nora trying to explain (Jane doing a much better job than she did), Vie seemed happy with all of her answers. Before Nora knew it, it was late into the night and it was time for her to return to her room for the last time.

* * *

 

 

As expected, Nora hardly slept at all that night. She still wanted her time on Asgard to continue, but she understood that she couldn't stay forever. That morning, Nora watched as the sun rose, seeing all the changing colors of the sky. She stood on her small balcony, enjoying the crisp morning air.

 

Well, it was official. Any vacation back on Earth would never compare to Asgard. She wondered if Heimdall would let her visit sometime.

 

After putting her jeans on and a t-shirt, she laid the dresses she had gotten on the bed neatly. She wanted to take them, but she knew she'd have no opportunity to wear them after she left. Making her way out of the room, she put on a jacket and folded the cape Thor had given her last night. She may not keep the dresses, but she was keeping the cape!

 

The palace halls were mostly empty, save a few of the servants bustling about and a few guards walking around. They paid Nora no attention as they all went about their day. By now, Nora sort of knew her way around that particular part of the castle, so she decided to have one last look around.

 

The sun finally peaked itself over the edges of the horizon while Nora walked through the gardens. Swerving through the large columns, she watched as everything seemed to come to life. Usually Nora missed this part of the day. She supposed she could see the appeal of the early morning, but she still preferred to sleep in at least a little.

 

Rounding the corner of the garden, she made her way back inside the palace. She ran her hands absently against the stone walls as she walked. She reached the large double doors of the library next. Pushing on the right door, she opened it enough for her to squeeze inside. The table she had books stacked up on from the other day had remained untouched. Did anyone but her and Loki come into the library?

 

She walked over, heaving her bag onto the table, and flipped through some of the books again. She chuckled under her breath as she remembered Vie trying to explain what a kilnberg was. Nora still wasn't quite sure what the creature was, but watching Vie trying to explain it to her was priceless. She would miss her Asgardian friend.

 

A quiet sigh startled Nora slightly, but she recognized it, smiling. "You always seem to show up where I'm at Loki, keep this up and I might think you're stalking me," she joked, turning to see him standing in the library doorway. She hoped he caught her meaning, trying to copy what he had accused her of a couple days ago.

 

He rolled his eyes in a very Earth-like way. He just shook his head and headed up the stairs to the floor above. "As if I would stoop so low as to stalk a human," he muttered, his voice falling through the silence. He didn't seem angry as he had the past few days. "Why are you even up? Don't you like to sleep all day?" He taunted, looking over the railing slightly.

 

"Sure do!" Nora replied, not missing a beat. She was glad he was being civil. "But as it is my last day, I couldn't sleep. Decided one last walk about the palace was in order."

 

"Frankly, I'm surprised you made your way here," Loki continued while perusing the shelves above.

 

Nora laughed good naturedly. It seemed he was joking with her now. Maybe she had made a small step of progress. "What're you doing up so early?" she asked, grabbing some of the books to put them back on the shelf.

 

Silence provided no answer from him, so she just put up the books she had grabbed and looked out one of the larger windows to the library. The window gave her a view of the Bifrost, only reminding her that she should probably go find Jane. Surely the woman was up by now, being an early riser and all. Nora made her way back to her table near the center of the library to grab her backpack. When she got to the table, her bag was gone.

 

"Hey, Loki," Nora called loudly. "Did you take my bag?"

 

Silence.

 

"Loki!" she tried again. "Loki!"

 

Suddenly, his upper body appeared over the railings. "What? The library is supposed to be a _silent_ place."

 

"Where's my bag?"

 

"How would I know where you left your human belongings? Maybe you lost it," he huffed, disappearing once again.

 

"You're the only other person in the library. Not to mention a certain _someone_  is known for his mischief and pranks. Not exactly a leap to think you did it," Nora called up to him. "Just give it back, I gotta get going!"

 

This time he appeared over the railings, hands almost digging into the metal harshly. "Are you deaf, human? I don't know where you've placed your bag," he growled, angry. "What would I want with your bag anyway?"

 

She put her hands on her hips. "Then what happened-" she started to say, but stopped when she heard a thud from behind her. Her bag was laying in the middle of the floor. _What the heck?_ She walked over to the bag cautiously. She hadn't left it in the middle of the floor.

 

"See," Loki scoffed. "It is right there, and yet you accuse me of taking it." Shaking his head rudely, he turned away and disappeared from the railing.

 

 _Yeah, but it wasn't there before,_ she thought. Bending over she grabbed her bag and looked at it. As she inspected the bag, something caught her attention next to her a couple feet away. Looking over, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Suddenly, it felt like her hair was standing on end, giving her goose bumps. That didn't make sense, why would she be on edge? There wasn't anything-

 

Suddenly, she felt something deliver a blow to her side, flinging her across the room like a doll. She blanked for a moment, only recalling tumbling across a part of the floor. Her back smacked into a chair and a dull pain exploded in her back. Laying there, she tried not to panic as she had the wind knocked from her.

 

 _Breathe! Breathe!_ She willed her lungs to function, but they refused to cooperate. Those few seconds felt like minutes as she finally drew in a shaky breath. "Loki!" she wheezed, trying to push herself up. Coughing, she shouted for the prince again.

 

"Now what is it-" he went to snap at her before falling silent again. In the blink of an eye, Loki vanished and appeared next to her. "What happened?"

 

"Something's in here-"

 

Before she could finish her sentence, one of the library chairs were flying at them, spinning as it flew. Loki's hand shot out, knocking the chair away to the other side of the room with his magic. Nora watched as the chair broke into pieces, crunching in the otherwise silent room. Once again something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. "Loki, over there somewhere," she pointed towards the center of the library, in the circle of light from the glass roof. She couldn't see whatever caught her attention now, but she could've swore she saw a shimmering of sorts before. Trepidation made its way through her body.

 

"Show yourself," Loki demanded, standing a few feet in front of Nora.

 

An eerie, gutteral sounding growl echoed through the library, making Nora shiver. That wasn't like anything she had ever heard from real life or any movie she had seen. In an instant, Loki darted towards the center of the room, hands firing a spell as he went. He made it to the middle of the circle of light and nothing happened. Coming to a halt, he eyed the room carefully. Nora was about to call out to him, when suddenly he vanished in a small flash of green light. Confused, she watched as another Loki appeared not too far away from his copy. Was that one of his magic tricks she had heard of?

 

Before she could think about how cool that was, Loki was suddenly smashed down by some invisible blow, knocking him to his hands and knees painfully. Snarling, he let his magic explode from him in a large wave as he jumped back up. As soon as he stood, he cried out as a small dagger-like blade sunk into his lower side. Nora couldn't tell where the weapon had come from, but Loki was soon falling back to his knees, holding his side.

 

"Loki," she breathed, running to him. She didn't think twice about whatever was attacking them. Adrenaline had pushed her throbbing pain to the back of her mind. She just ran, trying to make sure he wasn't hurt too badly. By the time she made it to him, he was laying on his side, his back to her. She slid on her knees to him, grabbing his coat to try and roll him back over towards her.

 

Instantly, she felt like she had put her hand against a cold freezer door.

 

_What the heck did that dagger do?_

 

Her eyes widened as she finally got a look at him. "Holy crap, why are you blue?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Loki, you're blue!" Nora gasped again. Why was he blue? And his eyes…they were a bright red, a striking contrast to his blue skin. Nora noticed small patches of ice forming around him as he lay there holding his side. He tried to sit up, moving slowly. "Loki?" she asked a little scared, reaching towards him.

 

"Don’t touch me!" he snarled at her, looking at her quickly. Flinching back, she withdrew her hand.

 

_What the heck was going on?_

Before she could ask any of the dozens of questions flowing through her brain, she became paralyzed as the eerie growl sounded directly into her ear. Pulling herself away on instinct, she felt a large claw-like appendage wrap around her arm and toss her towards one of the walls. She flew through the air once again, barely rolling to a stop before the creature held her up against the wall in between a set of tables. She could feel the creatures hand or claw dig into her throat, cutting off her oxygen quickly. _If only she could see the thing!_

She fumbled against the wall, reaching onto the table for a weapon, but she found none. Then she tried to pull the creature away from her throat, panicking as she fought to breathe. She didn't get anywhere. She might as well been trying to push a mountain for all the good it did. Her lungs burning, she reached onto the tables again searching blindly for anything that could be used as a weapon.

 

Gasping as her hand brushed against something, she grabbed a hold of it and swung her hand up and in front of her. Glass smashed in her hand as a dark liquid coated her hands and a part of the creature. Her hand vaguely stung as she watched in horrid fascination as the liquid coated the part of the creature. The creature hadn't even flinched at the glass breaking against it. She could make out a vague shape of what she assumed was a large snarling mouth  and a slender shoulder.

 

As her vision started to blur out of focus, the creature suddenly screeched sharply and dropped Nora ungracefully to the ground. Gasping, Nora pushed herself back into the wall and watched as the creature reared backwards and knocked over a bookshelf. Looking over back to Loki, she saw him fall back to his side and curl in on himself. Nora eyed the creature again as it twisted in circles trying to dislodge the large dagger from its back. She darted back towards Loki, hovering over him, unsure what to do.

 

_What could she do?_

"What's wrong?" she demanded shakily. He was still curling in on himself, almost in a fetal position. He groaned something incoherent as he covered his face from the sunlight streaming down from the ceiling. Maybe the sunlight was hurting him somehow? She didn't bother to ask why, her brain to frazzled to get distracted for once.

 

 _Figures I need a near death experience to not be distracted,_ Nora thought sarcastically. She grabbed her bag not too far away and threw her new cape over him to cover his upper body. Behind her, the creature thrashed around until she heard a slight clanging. Nora watched frozen as the black covered creature made its way back towards them.

 

"We've got to go! Come on," she huffed, trying to pull him up. As expected, she barely managed to nudge him before the creature once again tossed her to the side. She groaned as the once forgotten dull pain came back ten-fold, taking the breath from her lungs momentarily. Trying to breathe, she watched as the creature hovered over Loki's body. Looking around for a weapon of some kind, she grabbed a book and desperately threw it without really thinking. The book sailed through the air and hit the creature, falling to the floor almost comically.

 

 _Oh crap…_ She thought as the creature turned towards her, becoming a blur as it sped towards her. In a split second decision, she darted around the table and darted towards the library door. "THOR!" she screamed as loud as her scratchy throat would allow. She pulled the door open enough for her to escape and automatically started running down the hall. She vaguely heard the sound of wood crunching but she wasn't going to turn around to look.

 

Heart pounding, Nora ran as fast as her legs would allow. She was dimly thankful that she had put on her Earth clothes and wasn't in her elegant Asgardian dresses. There was no way she could run in those. Rounding a corner, she immediately smacked into something and bounced back a few feet before falling on her butt. Instinctively she started swinging her arms in front of her to try and protect herself.

 

"Nora, what is it?" Thor's voice demanded deeply. He held Mjolnir in his hand tightly.

 

She stopped swinging and looked at him, vicious relief flowing through her. She pointed a shaky hand backwards, answering him. As soon as she pointed, the creature rounded the corner. Immediately, Thor narrowed his eyes and leapt over her, wielding his hammer. The creature growled and darted away again, Thor and it disappearing around the corner.

 

Nora sat in the middle of the hallway, taking deep breaths and trying to calm herself. She wasn't aware that she was shaking until she looked down at her hands. She eyed the black liquid, dimly realizing it was ink that stained her hands and parts of her clothes. She just stared at her hands as her brain tried to come to terms with being attacked and the fact she could've almost died. Everything seemed to be moving slowly; even her breathing had evened out. Was she going into shock? She felt detached as she sat there, shivering like it was cold-

 

Cold…

 

Loki!

 

Jumping up with new energy, Nora ran back to the library, stumbling a bit on shaky legs. She wrenched the door open and walked inside. The circle of the room that was lit up was now empty. "Loki!" she shouted, panting slightly. A quiet rustling of clothes was her only response. She turned in sharp circles, looking everywhere before she finally saw him in a darkened corner of the library. He was still covered in the dark cape she had thrown over him. Walking towards him, she bent down a little, trying to get to his eye level. "Loki…?" she tried again.

 

"Just leave me be," his reply came quietly.

 

She fell to her knees in front of him and pulled the cape up off him to look at him. Yep…he was still blue. "So…uh, care to share?" she forced a strained laugh, gesturing to him.

 

"Share what? You already posses the knowledge," he continued, still looking down and away from her.

 

"So you're blue because of the  Jot-Jut….ummm…"

 

He sighed, closing his eyes. "Jotuns," he shook his head at her like she was an idiot. "And yes."

 

"Don't shake your head at me. You never told me you were blue, and it's not like the books were painted blue for me," she snapped. Then she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Then she plopped back onto her butt, sitting in front of him. _Deep breaths, deep breaths,_ she chanted mentally, trying to calm her racing pulse. She noticed she was still slightly trembling as she flexed her hands. Her adrenaline was slowly fading, leaving her crashing from its high.

 

"You're injured," Loki commented offhandedly, looking at her hand.

 

 _I am?_ she thought. He then pointed to her hand that was covered with ink. "Oh, yeah. I forgot. Guess the adrenaline blocked the pain," she mumbled. Then she looked at him closely. "What about you? You got stabbed!"

 

He huffed at her concern, looking away once again. "I am fine, human."

 

She squinted her eyes at him. "Anyone ever tell you that you're hard to talk to?" His mouth twitched into an almost smirk. "Do you feel any different like that?" she asked before she could stop herself. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Never mind," she continued, waving her hand. "My mouth got ahead of me." Before she could say anything else, she made her way to the space of wall next to him and closed her eyes to rest. She could feel the dark pull of sleep pull at her mind, coaxing her into slumber as she sat there.

 

" _What happened here?!"_

Nora jumped as the voice suddenly boomed and echoed around her. Looking over quickly, she saw Odin and Frigga standing in the center of the room. Frigga looked worried but Odin gave away nothing in his carefully blank face. Nora could see some guards stationed outside the doors in the hallway. She tried to respond, her mind replaying everything that happened, but she couldn’t provide any words. How was she to explain the whole situation? Where would she even begin?

 

"There was some sort of creature, hidden from sight. It attacked, I assume it is now fleeing from Thor as we speak," Loki answered calmly. Nora sat there quietly, but she didn't miss the small flash of surprise on Odin's face or the slight frown Frigga had as she went to her son. Although clearly worried, Frigga made no move to physically check Loki to see if he was alright. Nora could vaguely recall he had snapped at her not to touch him. "Can you change me back?" Loki asked looking up at Odin, sounding surprisingly vulnerable.

 

Odin stared back at him for a few silent moments before stepping forward.

 

"You can let go now, dear," Frigga's voice came to Nora. Looking at the woman in confusion, Frigga glanced down at Nora's hands. She followed Frigga's line of vision to see her hand bunched up in Loki's coat sleeve, tight enough to make her knuckles white. Instantly Nora released his sleeve and flexed her hands. She must've grabbed him when Odin scared the crap out of her.

 

"Sorry," she told Loki quietly, looking up at him. He merely looked back at her, red eyes studying her.

 

"You don't seem afraid of my son like this," Frigga said, studying Nora closely as well.

 

Nora started to feel slightly embarrassed having them both staring at her intently. "Oh, well it's not a big deal. I mean he's blue, sure, but he looks pretty neat actually. Besides, on Earth, people can dress up and paint themselves any color for costumes, and there's always contacts that make people's eyes different colors. He's still himself so nothing to freak out about right?" Nora rambled quickly and awkwardly, stammering whatever thoughts came to her mind. Frigga went to say something, but was interrupted as Thor pushed his way into the library.

 

"It got away. Is everyone alright?" Thor breathed heavily. Looking at Loki, his eyes widened. "You're in that form again?" he asked. He hadn't meant it rudely, but he was curious.

 

"The dagger it stabbed me with must have been poisoned somehow, I expect. Whatever it was, it was powerful enough to counteract the Allfather's magic," Loki explained, sounding detached.

 

"Stabbed?!" Frigga demanded, moving the cloak away to get a closer look at her son.

 

"Secure the palace. Nothing gets in or out!" Odin shouted to the guards stationed outside. Instantly, Nora heard their running footsteps fade down the hallway. Odin made long, yet slow,  strides to Loki and gestured for him to stand up.

 

"It seems whatever I was stabbed with was also laced with a mild paralytic," Loki told him with a slight sneer. "I cannot stand." He seemed oddly pleased at having Odin lean down towards him. Odin sighed, and leaned over slightly, resting his hand on Loki's forehead. Nora waited for something to happen or for an explanation, but nothing happened.

 

"It is not working," Odin announced quietly, standing up to tower over them again.

 

"What?!" Loki hissed, leaning forward.

 

"Whatever has changed you back is old and powerful magic. I cannot undo it now," Odin told him. Nora felt like Odin was being a bit aloof by the situation, but clearly Loki was upset by the news.

 

"I will not skulk about the palace, like some criminal again, hoping no one will discover me!" Loki snapped, outraged.

 

Odin stood there, merely looking at Loki while he fumed; while Frigga laid her hand on Loki's shoulder in sympathy. "Is there nothing you can do, Father?" Thor asked, coming to join the circle of them.

 

"I'm afraid not, Thor. Perhaps the magic will wear off in time; I cannot say," Odin answered after a tense moment of silence.

 

Nora heard a quiet crackling sound and looked down to see that ice was forming on the floor and wall where Loki was in contact with, proof of his anger that he didn't try to hide. Surprisingly, he said nothing, even if his eyes displayed the rage he felt.

* * *

 

 

Nora sat in an open sitting room with Jane and Thor as Thor paced, worried for his brother. Odin had demanded that Nora and Jane were to stay there until further notice. They had also gotten word from Heimdall that he could not see the creature with his infinite gaze. The news didn't surprise Nora, if Heimdall could see the threat, he would've alerted them sooner.

 

Nora had been bustled into the sitting room by some guards after the library, and Jane soon followed.  Thor and Frigga had grabbed Loki and helped him to his room, keeping him from sight as they went. Nora couldn't help but feel bad for Loki. He clearly didn't like being a Frost Giant, and Nora recalled Vie telling her of the hatred the Asgardians held for the race. It must be hard to be surrounded by people that would hate someone just because they were a different race. As she worried, she wished there was something she could do to help. Not just to help Loki, but to help the Asgardians find the creature. Thor was clearly upset by his restless pacing through the room.

 

"Shouldn't you get that checked out?" Jane asked Nora, pulling her from her thoughts. Nora looked down at her hand that was still covered in dried ink and a little blood. She had forgotten once again that she was injured, so she nodded at Jane. She didn't want it to get infected or something. Thor then told the guards to fetch a water basin for Nora to clean herself in. "So you said this creature was invisible?" Jane asked.

 

Nora nodded again. "Yeah, but sometimes you could almost see something from the corner of your eye, like a shimmering of sorts."

 

"Yes, I saw it, too," Thor agreed, crossing his arms as he paced.

 

"Shimmer? How so?" Jane was ever the one for information.

 

Nora pursed her mouth to the side in thought. "Kind of like heat on the pavement of a hot day. You almost have to be looking for it, or catch it at the right angle," Nora tried explaining.

 

"And you've never seen anything like this before?" Jane asked Thor as he paced. He merely shook his head.  The guard came back with the water basin for Nora, and she had to scrub her hand almost raw to get all the ink off. Only after she was clean, could she see the small gashes on her palm from the glass. Thankfully they weren't that deep; just superficial. As she put the basin down, the large doors swung open and Odin came sweeping into the room, Frigga behind him.

 

"Any news, Father?" Thor demanded.

 

Odin shook his head, both frustrated and slightly weary. "No. No sign of the creature anywhere. It must be concealing itself once again, even I cannot sense it." Thor's shoulders fell slightly. Then Odin turned his piercing gaze back to Nora and Jane. "You two will be escorted to the Bifrost. Heimdall is already preparing for your travel," he commanded. Then he turned to Thor. "You will come with me." With that, Odin turned, his cape swishing as he left.

 

Thor hesitated for a moment until Frigga laid her hand on his shoulder. "Go, I'll make sure they are safe," she told him confidently. Thor nodded once, giving Jane and Nora a nod goodbye before he followed after Odin.


	7. Chapter 7

Loki paced in the darkened confines of his room. _Curse Odin!_ He was supposed to be the Allfather, all powerful, and he couldn't even change him back into his Asgardian appearance. He hated his cursed  Jotun form! It meant nothing but trouble, and now he was strictly confined to his chambers. _Out of sight, out of mind,_ Loki's mind snarled viciously. He always seemed to be pushed to the side by Odin. Even with their fragile truce, they still didn’t quite get along. They tolerated each other's presence, that was all. Loki knew in his heart that the only people that truly cared about him in this realm were his brother and mother. Two out of countless numbers.

 

Pivoting on his heel, he paced back to the other side of his room. He couldn't even sit on the large balcony attached to his room, less someone actually _see_ him like this. He was just supposed to hide away; Odin's little secret.

 

As he paced, he started to leave ice patterns on the floor. They only served to make him angrier; only served to show him the fundamental difference between himself and the very realm. He paused his pacing to scowl at the crawling patches of thin ice in disgust.

 

Absentmindedly, he fingered the hole in his shirts where the creature had stabbed him. _The nerve!_ The creature couldn't even show itself as it attacked him and the mortal. It was cloaked in some strange magic.  It must have been. That was why he couldn’t sense it as it practically stood next to him in the library, and was around for who knew how long. Even Heimdall couldn’t see such a creature. Although, a fairly talented magic wielder could hide from the eyes of the Gatekeeper. One such as himself.

 

Bored once again, Loki started to pace around his room. The books he had scattered on his desks and stands had already been read and corrected by him several times within the last few weeks. He could practically recite the tomes by now.

 

 Soon, Loki could see small puffs of his breath in the air as he walked. Curse his Jotun form! He had no idea how to control it, which only aggravated him further. In a surge of anger, he let his magic burst from him, causing books and a stand to fall on the floor. The few lit candles in the room all blew out simultaneously. His magic was a bit difficult to wield in this form. The one thing he was good at, excelled at, and he couldn't even access it properly.

 

Letting out a deep sigh, he sat on the edge of his bed. Looking at his hands, Loki wanted to go out and hunt the creature. It was the reason he was stuck in his chambers!

 

 _"Loki you're blue!"_  he could hear the human's voice in his mind. He had been surprised to find there was no revulsion in her eyes at his form.  Only shock, curiosity, and worry had clouded her eyes, all on display for him to see. She had been worried about him, and he couldn't figure out why. He could list most of the people who cared about him, in any of the realms,  on his hands. It was strange coming from a human he had only met a few days ago. One that he had threatened, yet she had treated him like he was anyone else. She had yelled at him, and didn't back down from his little challenge in the library. He could only remember Stark treating him as such. Pepper was his friend, but he could tell that she sometimes didn't quite know what to say to him, or how to approach him if he was in a foul mood.  He found the new mortal woman both incredibly irritating and refreshing at the same time.

 

Loki snorted as he remembered her dashing back into the library to check on him. Like a simple cut to his side would seriously harm him. She really didn't seem all too perturbed by him, and it puzzled him. Or perhaps he was used to the Asgardians still treating him like he was a stain upon Asgard. They wouldn't outright say anything to him, to his face. They preferred to whisper and start rumors of him behind his back, or when they thought they were alone or he was out of ear shot. He could still hear everything. Thor had been trying in his own way, and Loki loved him for it (not that he'd admit it), but everyone just treated him as if he were practically invisible, just like before Thor's would be coronation. Loki knew that it would take time to heal the damage he had caused, but he was starting to think that maybe it was futile.

 

He wouldn't sit in Asgard and stalk the shadows like he once did when he was younger. He refused to be placed in a shadow again!

 

A soft knock on his door interrupted his musings. He first thought it was his mother by the gentleness of the knock, but Thor's head soon peaked around the door as it opened slightly. Loki was surprised his brother could be so gentle. "Brother, do you fair well?" Thor asked, voice just as gentle as his knock.

 

Loki turned his head away from the lights in the hallway, his Jotun eyes seeing the light from the many lit torches in the hall more sharply. "Just get in here!" he snapped at Thor, angry that a little thing such as light would hurt his eyes, reminding him of what he was.

 

Thor smiled in empathy for him, understanding the root of Loki's anger and frustration. Thor seemed able to read him better lately. Loki wasn't sure if he liked it. "Has the poison wore off yet?" Thor asked peering into the darkness of the room as he shut the door.

 

Loki rolled his eyes as Thor looked in the wrong direction for him. Using a small tendril of magic, he lit a couple of the candles hanging on the walls, lighting the room enough for Thor to see. "Well, I'm not paralyzed anymore," Loki drawled, feigning nonchalance.

 

Thor saw right through it. "Brother," he sighed, moving to sit next to Loki on the edge of the bed. "You know I don't have a preference for your appearance. It matters not either way."

 

"To you perhaps," Loki returned, "I'm sure the rest of Asgard would not share your opinions."

 

Thor inhaled slowly, trying to gather his patience that Loki liked to test. "I would not be the only one to accept this form of yours."

 

"Mother does too, I know Thor. I'm no idiot-"

 

"I meant," Thor interrupted Loki, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Nora. She did not seem to mind at all. She seemed worried about you before she departed. She told me to tell you goodbye, and not to be a stranger."

 

Loki glanced at Thor sideways. "So you sent your friends away, finally?"

 

He nodded, his face becoming serious. "Yes. I do not wish them anymore harm from this creature, wherever it may be now. We know not where it's located, nor it's abilities other than it's knack for escaping detection. It seems no matter what methods we try, we can't locate it."

 

Loki nodded gravely, seeing Thor's frustration at letting the creature from his sight. "I could not sense it either. The human pointed it out that she could almost see it, but it attacked before I could find it properly." He had only been able to throw the dagger at the creature as it held the woman by her throat because he could see the ink splashed across its side. He'd give the mortal credit; she had managed to help them see the creature, if even for a short while. "So what are the current plans for locating it?"

 

"Keep a strict look out at all times. There will be guards posted almost everywhere. There is not much else we can do," Thor sighed, resigned.  "We have send word to Alfheim, perhaps they have a spell or the magic to locate the creature."

 

Loki quirked an eyebrow up at Thor, as Thor looked at the wall in thought. Perhaps his brother had matured a little after all. A few years prior, Thor would have never asked for outside help with a problem. He would've charged head first into trouble, only dealing with the consequences later. He most certainly wouldn't have asked for magical assistance. "I hope they can help locate it quickly," Loki told him, lips forming into a smirk. "I want to kill it." He could just imagine snuffing the life from the wretched creature.

* * *

 

Tony rolled out from underneath one of his machines as he upgraded and tested different prototypes.  "Jarvis, buddy, what happened to the music? I thought I said no interruptions," he called out, setting a couple tools next to him on the cool floor.

 

"Forgive me sir, but it appears there are large energy fluctuations on the roof. They are identical to those of the Bifrost, as Mr. Odinson has informed me," Jarvis answered.

 

Tony pushed the makeshift form  for a new suit away as he looked up to the ceiling. "Goldilocks is back?"

 

There was a moment of silence. "No. It does not appear to be Mr. Odinson. It is two women. One appears to be Jane Foster."

 

"And the other?" Tony asked, pushing off his knees to stand. He started heading towards the stairs in his current workshop. _What's Jane doing here?_ he wondered. He hadn't seen her in a few months. Last he heard, she was halfway across the country doing her research.

 

"Unknown at the moment," Jarvis responded immediately.

 

"Thanks Jarvis," Tony smiled. "Ready the elevator for me, would ya?"

 

"Already done."

 

Tony just grinned as he walked up the stairs. He really was a genius. He made the fantastic choice to create Jarvis. Then again, most of his ideas were gold. Okay…. There was that time he may or may not have provoked Bruce into the Hulk. He was only having some fun on an otherwise boring day. And the Hulk had only destroyed one floor before he got tired. A few million dollars thrown at some contractors, and it was as good as new. Thankfully, it had been one of the lower levels that was going to be another lab for him to work in, but it hadn't been fully renovated before the rampage. He had wanted to redecorate anyway!

 

The elevator opened as he neared it and shut behind him, already prepared to go. The elevator dinged once it reached the roof and the doors opened. Sure enough, two women were slightly swaying on his roof in the detailed circular pattern the Bifrost always left behind. Before Pepper, Tony would have been thrilled to have two women on his roof. Man he had changed.

 

"Jane, that you?" Tony asked, calling across the short distance of the roof. His clothes billowed against his skin as he made his way over to the two. It was night time, the moon providing  little light for him to see properly, but the building provided enough light behind him to see relatively well.

 

"Yeah…" Jane's voice called back as the light from the Bifrost vanished as quickly as it came. She seemed uncertain as she looked around, hair blowing crazily in the breeze.

 

"You guys alright?" Tony asked uncertainly as the two swayed a little again. Maybe jumping the rainbow messed with their equilibrium… He didn’t know.

 

"Yes, yes, we're fine," Jane responded, standing straighter now. "I didn't know Heimdall was landing us here."

 

"Heim-a-who?" Tony asked, confused.

 

"Heimdall," Jane told him again, heading towards him. The other woman behind her quickly caught up after looking around quickly.

 

"Heimdall…" Tony muttered slowly. Where had he heard that name before?

 

"The gatekeeper for Asgard, sir," Jarvis provided.

 

"Right!" Tony snapped his fingers. Then he looked at the two. "So why did you two jump the rainbow?"

 

"Mind if we come inside?" Jane asked, giving him a tired smile. "I'll explain on the way."

 

"Sure," Tony shrugged, gesturing with his arm for them to proceed. Making their way to the elevator, Jane explained that they had been on a short trip to Asgard to visit Thor and the realm. Then they had been attacked by some invisible monster. Tony listened closely while Jane spoke. Well, almost closely. He may have been trying to figure out a way past S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new firewalls and security Fury had put into place after Tony's last visit. He couldn't help his brain from wandering. The story was boring.  "So who's this?" he asked suddenly, accidently cutting Jane off mid sentence. Oops.

 

"I'm Nora, Mr. Stark. Nice to meet you," the other woman greeted, smiling kindly.

 

 "Please, just Tony, or Stark even. Mr. Stark was my father, and I am by far cooler than my old man," Tony smirked easily. "Right Jarvis?"

 

"Yes, sir. You are most certainly _cool._ " If Tony didn’t know better, he would've guess Jarvis just rolled his nonexistent eyes. When did he program Jarvis to be sarcastic?  At Jarvis' voice, Nora looked around, confused.

 

"Jarvis is an AI Tony created," Jane explained to her. "Just think of him as a virtual butler of sorts."

 

"I do much more than that Ms. Foster."

 

Tony turned and pouted slightly at Jane. "Yeah, don't insult him like that." He was slightly protective of his creation. His friend.

 

Jane held back a sigh. "Sorry, Tony. Sorry Jarvis," Jane apologized.

 

"All is well, Ms. Foster."

 

Nora smiled at the ceiling.

 

"So Jane," Tony started, already over her offence to Jarvis. "Where's Darcy? You never bring her around anymore," he stated, looking at Nora. "What did you do, switch interns?" He really hoped she hadn't. Darcy was fun to have around.

 

Jane's eyes narrowed slightly. "The last time you and Darcy were together was a disaster!" she exclaimed. The elevator dinged while the doors opened to reveal a large living room and kitchen.

 

Tony huffed, rolling his eyes. "It was only one floor, jeez. You overreact just like Pepper." He made his way to the kitchen that was on the far wall of the room. "In our defense, we didn't mean to almost explode poor ol' Brucey. He just kind of stepped off the elevator at the wrong moment." Tony retrieved a glass and a large bottle of scotch from the glass shelves on the wall.

 

"Yeah, Tony, that's exactly what happened," Bruce's voice added sarcastically as he entered the room from the hallway near the elevator. "You needed my help at that _exact_ moment with the laser."

 

"Exactly!" Tony smiled triumphantly, raising his glass.

 

"I believe that was sarcasm the Green Giant has utilized, sir," Jarvis interjected.

 

Tony choked on his drink at the look on Bruce's face. He hit his chest a few times, trying to swallow right and prevent himself from coughing. "Really Tony?" Bruce sighed, shaking his head. "Green Giant?" Tony just shrugged and tipped the glass back, finishing his little bit of scotch.

 

"You're the Hulk!" a voice whispered quickly.

 

Tony looked over as Nora covered her mouth quickly, embarrassed. Then he looked to Bruce, who shifted nervously. "Uh, yes," Bruce replied awkwardly. Tony rolled his eyes again. He wished the guy would just accept being a giant rage monster. Seriously, it was cool! He was indestructible and could go toe to toe with gods and aliens. It was almost as cool as his suits.

 

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that rudely at all!" Nora said, waving her hands in front of her.

 

"Don’t worry," Bruce replied, a small smile forming on his face. Tony thought it looked a bit too self deprecating for his tastes. Sometimes, the man took himself too seriously.  "I won't turn into the Other Guy so easily," Bruce forced a chuckle.

 

Despite Tony teasing Bruce, frequently, he didn't like for others to make the ever serene Bruce Banner uncomfortable. They were friends, and Tony protected those close to him. Besides, who else was he going to talk about science stuff with? No one else could keep up with him. Tony had seen the tabloids and interviews after Loki's attack, and even after a few other problems they had encountered afterwards. It seemed like more and more people were against them every day. Something about damages and being a risk… Tony usually tuned it out. But he knew it got to Bruce, how some people were afraid of the Hulk and the destruction he usually left behind. Tony opened his mouth to say something to the girl before she could give him _another_ complex, but she beat him to it.

 

"That's not what I meant at all!" Nora told him earnestly, shaking her head at Bruce's assumption. "I'm sorry you thought that."

 

Bruce ran a hand through his hair. "Guess I'm just used to the general public wanting me gone."

 

"Well, those who want you gone, can just shove off," the girl declared with conviction, making Tony raise an eyebrow at her in surprise. "Without you _or_ the Hulk, a lot of them would be dead anyway." Then she looked directly at him. "Thank you for being you, _and_ the Hulk."

 

Bruce stood there, momentarily in shock.

 

"See, Brucey?" Tony laughed while walking the few steps over to Bruce, throwing his arm around the man. "I told you not everyone was an idiot." Bruce merely shook his head, exasperated at Tony's outburst. Bruce could pretend all he wanted, but Tony could see the smile in the man's eyes. "I'm keeping you around kid," Tony smiled at Nora, letting go of Bruce. "You can be my replacement for Darcy, since Jane won't bring her 'round anymore."

 

"Well, Darcy _is_ my cousin," Nora told him.

 

Tony grinned, plans already forming in his head.

 

"Tony," Bruce sighed in warning.

 

"Don't get any ideas, Stark!" Jane demanded.

 

Tony continued to smirk. "Oh come on, I'm always full of ideas!" Some of his ideas may not be traditionally smart, but Tony wasn't traditional. He found his ideas exciting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! And the story so far. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! Criticism is everything!


	8. Chapter 8

Nora was sleeping peacefully, curled up into her cocoon of blankets and pillows. She was glad she got to sleep in past early morning. Between Vie, Loki, and not being able to sleep, it had been a few days since she just got to sleep in for the fun of it.

Taking a deep breath to yawn, Nora immediately sat up. She could smell smoke. "What's going on?" she mumbled to herself, dislodging from the covers.

"It seems Captain Spangles has burnt some toast again, Ms. Lewis," Jarvis's voice answered.

Nora couldn't help the grin pulling at her face. "Captain Spangles is Captain America, I'm assuming?" Tony's sense of humor was definitely out there.

"That is correct."

Nora rolled from the warmth of her bed and made her way into the hallway, heading for the main living room. She followed the smell of smoke as it got worse and entered the living room, finding a man fanning the toaster with his hands.

He turned, embarrassment clear on his face. "Sorry to wake you," he apologized, still fanning the air. "Tony messed with the settings on the toaster again."

Nora walked across the room to open a window. "It's okay. I'm Nora by the way," she greeted him.

"Steve. Steve Rogers," he nodded at her. "Tony told me you and Jane showed up last night." As he spoke, he deftly plucked the charred pieces of toast from the slots and threw them away. "Tony," he grumbled, shaking his head.

Nora chuckled, heading back over to the island in the kitchen. "Tony likes to pull pranks it seems."

She could've swore she saw the man's shoulders droop a little. "Yes. Usually at me and all of his technology. I am learning though. The things I do know how to use properly, he always messes with anyway." He fiddled with the heat settings until they were back to what he wanted.

Getting some milk from the fridge, Nora offered some to Steve, who nodded gratefully. As she passed him a glass, a woman with long red hair and business clothes walked in. She was holding a few files and a newspaper in her hands as she walked to the island. "Oh, you both are up already," she smiled, setting the bundle of files and papers on the counter. "I'm Pepper," she continued, walking to Nora to shake her hand gently. "Tony said that you and Jane were staying here for a couple days until Erik and Darcy get here. If there's anything you need, ask me or Jarvis for anything!"

Nora smiled and introduced herself. While Nora liked the woman, she was a bit too chipper for her tastes so early in the morning. Pepper was definitely an early riser, unlike Nora. Pepper seemed nice. In fact, everyone she had met so far in the tower seemed like good people.

"Steve, Nora, do you want me to make you something for breakfast?" Pepper asked. "I've got some time before I have to leave."

Steve shook his head. "No thank you, toast is fine. I finally got it back to normal," he replied, taking a spot at the small dining table next to the kitchen area.

"Nora?"

Nora shook her head. "I'll just make me some cereal when I wake up. Thanks though," she smiled.

Pepper grabbed her files and gave Steve the paper for the day. "Alright, guess I'll go in a bit early," Pepper said, still perfectly chipper. "I'll see you guys for dinner. If you see Tony, tell him I'd like to speak with him, please."

Steve chuckled under his breath while taking a sip from his cup. "Will do, Pepper. Good luck." Nora just waved as she left. After a few minutes of silence, Nora got up and made her a bowl of cereal and sat at the table with Steve. The two sat there in a comfortable silence as he read the paper and she ate. About the time Nora was finished with her food, Steve told her that he was going running and that he'd be back in a couple hours. Nora looked at him strangely at that. Who actually woke up early, and then wanted to go running? For a couple hours, no less? She had just shrugged and waved at him as he left.

Once she was alone, she wandered over to the couch to sit in front of the big TV on the wall.

"Where's the remote?" she asked to no one, looking around. She couldn't find any remotes on the table, so she tried flipping the cushions to find it.

"I'm afraid the remote was destroyed not long ago, Ms. Lewis," Jarvis told her. "I can control the television if you'd like."

"Oh," Nora muttered, fixing the couch. "Thanks Jarvis, and just call me Nora."

"Very well, Nora. Is there a preference for what you'd like to watch?"

"Hmmm…" she thought, sitting down on the couch. "A comedy movie please." She watched as the TV started to search for available movies. She really needed her own personal Jarvis. Maybe Tony would make her an AI of her own.

As she watched Jarvis look for movies for her, she looked around the large open room. Everything was so sleek and high-tech looking. Not to mention expensive. Was everyone she was going to meet and stay with have a high status and rich? First Thor, and now Tony.

Suddenly, something shimmered in the corner of her vision. Instantly alert, memories of Asgard running through her head, she looked over quickly. Her hair stood on end once again, sending a prickling sensation over her body.

That creature couldn't be here, could it? Did it follow them from Asgard?

After looking over, she instantly felt like an idiot. It was just the sheer curtain that was blowing slightly from the open window in the kitchen. She shook her head at herself. She really was a-

"Nora, would you please head downstairs for a moment?"

"Why, Jarvis?" Nora asked, face scrunching up curiously.

There was a suspicious split second of hesitation. "Mr. Stark would like to see you in the lab."

Nora narrowed her eyes. She didn’t think that Tony would be up considering Jane's stories of him working endlessly through the night. Besides, what would he want with her if he was?

She froze for a second. Maybe she hadn't imagined the shimmer. Could Jarvis see it? _If_ it was the creature. Taking a shaky, yet deep breath, Nora stood and headed for the elevator.

"I would take-"

Before Jarvis could finish his sentence, Nora bumped into something out of nowhere. She inhaled shakily as she heard the eerie growl in front of her.

Damn, why her?

What should she do? Her mind was going blank with fear. Should she run? Surely the creature would catch her. Yet, just standing there wasn't going to help her. She could shout for someone; Surely, Tony or Bruce would hear her…maybe. Were they even within hearing distance, or on the level?

Her thoughts were silenced as a sharp and searing pain slashed across her left shoulder, down towards her ribs. The sudden blow knocked her back towards the kitchen island, mouth hung open in a gasp. She would've screamed, but her lungs weren't currently cooperating. After slumping against the bottom of the island, she looked down to see red everywhere. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew it was her blood she was seeing, but the fact hadn't registered completely yet. Her brain was still trying to process that the creature was there in the tower.

Using her right arm, she grabbed the countertop and pulled herself up shakily. The creature let loose another growl as she heard scuffling against the floor. Darting around the island she grabbed a large knife from the holder next to the sink, brandishing it in front of her. She'd be damned if she went down without a fight. Even if she doubted she could hurt the thing.

Vaguely, she knew she had to do something (like pray for someone to help) before the pain set in.

"Jarvis?" she asked, keeping her eyes peeled for any signs of the creature. Before she got an answer, she noticed the shimmer again as large claw marks appeared on the floor. Reacting on instinct, Nora ducked behind the island. She watched as the cabinets to her left splinter inward as the creature must have leapt over the island to get her. Chunks of wood and powder exploded in a huge cloud as the creature fell to the floor.

Nora's eyes widened as she could finally make out what the creature looked like. It stood, hunched over and resting it's weight on its long arms. Its legs were slightly shorter than its arms and were bent outward slightly. Its shoulders were slender like she remembered, but its hands were enlarged down towards the sharp talons that currently scraped against the tile on the floor. Its head was long and narrowed, its mouth hanging open to reveal a few rows of sharp looking teeth. Ears were pressed back against its head. It was the strangest thing Nora had ever seen.

Baring its fangs at her, the creature lunged at Nora once again. She reared backwards, mindlessly holding the knife in front of her as she flinched. The creature landed on top of her, almost knocking the wind from her, as she felt the blade sink into its torso. The wound didn't seem to deter the creature as it backed up and shook itself, dislodging the knife from its body. She watched, horridly fascinated as the creature looked at the knife, momentarily distracted. Nora took the chance and sprinted towards the hallway.

"Tony!" she screamed. "Bruce!" Using her right hand, she used it to help her around the wall into the hallway, propelling herself forward. She felt an odd sense of déjà vu, remembering Asgard. She could hear the creature pursuing her almost instantly. As she ran, she felt the odd sensation of her skin pulling apart at her wound, and she was glad she couldn't feel the pain yet.

Coming to the end of a long hallway, Nora tried to bank to the left. She had almost made it, but she felt something sharp bite into her leg, pulling her backwards sharply. Instantly, her leg gave out, sending her crashing to the ground. She looked back quickly to see the creature had caught her right calf in its mouth. She tried scrambling for something she could use for leverage, but she found nothing.

She could only watch as she left bloody handprints on the floor as the creature dragged her backwards. Her vision started to blur as spots danced in her vision. A dulled roar echoed around her, but it sounded like it was at a distance. She could still _feel_ the creatures sharp teeth inside her leg as it dragged her. Not a moment later, though, the creature suddenly released her.

Laying on the floor for a moment, Nora rested her head on the floor. Maybe she should move now. She should try to get away… but she couldn't seem to find the energy to move and she felt so heavy! When did her body turn to lead?

Faintly, she realized she should probably be panicking, or at least calling for help and not just laying there. But an invading and overwhelming numbness had settled over her. She could no longer move her body, could no longer think clearly, could no longer hang on as she drifted away…

* * *

 

"Sir, Nora is being attacked and requires immediate assistance!"

Tony immediately bolted up from his bed as Jarvis sounded an alarm in the room and woke him up. _What the hell was going on?_

"Now!" Jarvis demanded again.

Tony threw the blankets back, shooting from the bed. His bedroom door opened itself as Tony ran into the hallway outside of his room. Turning right, Tony headed for the stairs downstairs. "What's going on Jarvis?" Tony demanded as he ran down the stairs.

"There is some alien creature attacking," Jarvis explained.

_Of course there is,_ he thought, running to the room with his suit ready to go. _Phew!_ He panted. Maybe he'd take Spangles up on his offer to exercise. He was getting out of shape!

Entering the room, Tony gave silent commands in his actions as the suit purred to life and zoomed towards him, opening down the middle as it flew at him. The suit wrapped around him like a glove, all the mechanical parts forming back together seamlessly. The control system whirred to life in front of his eyes.

"Where at Jarvis?" he demanded, flying from the room quickly.

"Main floor hallway. I would encourage haste."

"You said it was an alien? How did it get in?" Tony asked, zooming up the floors through the stairwells.

"I do not know. I could not see it until it left scratches on the floor. It is now covered in flour from the kitchen pantry."

In response, Tony upped the thrusters, moving faster up the stairwell. Finally making it to the main level, Tony burst through the door leading into the hallway near the elevator. He flew forward and looked into the living area quickly. He tried not to be disturbed by what he saw… but God that was a lot of blood!

"In the hallway-"

Jarvis was cut off by an earth shaking roar that echoed in Tony's ears even through the suit. Damn, even the big guy had beaten him up here. Flying down the hallway he rounded a corner, and quickly sidestepped as a large _something_ came flying at him.

"What the hell was that?" Tony muttered, looking back as it flew through the air. "What kind of alien is that?"

Suddenly, a huge green body shot past Tony as he stood there momentarily caught off guard by trying to figure out what he was seeing.

"Dr. Banner has the creature taken care of. Nora requires immediate medical attention."

Tony turned quickly on his heel, flying further down the hallway again, quickly coming to Nora's still form laying there.

So much blood…

_This is no time to freeze, idiot!_ he cursed at himself. "Diagnosis Jarvis!"

"Multiple lacerations across her left side, and punctures in her right leg," Jarvis immediately answered. "She's lost a nearly significant amount of blood."

_Crap, she looks bad!_ Tony thought, turning her over slowly and carefully. Blood was smeared over her side, dripping to the floor from her shoulder. The large gashes were cleanly sliced into her skin, and not jagged like Tony expected. "Jarvis, get a S.H.I.E.L.D. doctor here now!"

Jarvis went silent for a moment as he followed the command. "Fury is sending one now. It will be roughly thirty minutes before they arrive though. I am not positive that Nora will-"

"I know!" Tony shouted frustrated. He was supposed to be a genius, but his medical knowledge seemed to be severely lacking at the moment. He knew he had to at least try to staunch he bleeding. The commanded Jarvis to control the suit, leaving Tony to kneel on the floor. "Get some towels, or blankets, or something Jarvis." The suit immediately took off down the hallway in the opposite direction. Tony felt a sliver of pride at his handiwork. His suits had come a long way since his first makeshift creation in the caves.

A sudden thud next to him made Tony turn at attention. The Hulk had the unmoving alien dropped into a heap on the ground. Faint purple liquid formed a small puddle around its body.

"Smash it once for me, would ya?" Tony asked, eyes narrowed at the powdered covered creature. The Hulk bared his teeth in an almost smirk as he smashed his huge fist into the creature hard enough to dent the floor slightly.

"Jarvis where's my-"

Before he could finish yelling, the suit came back into view carrying bundles of towels in its arms. Tony immediately grabbed them and pressed them against Nora's shoulder. He then let out a vicious curse as the towels almost immediately soaked through. He just added another layer, keeping a steady pressure on the wound.

The Hulk moved closer, surprisingly slow. If Tony wasn't mistaken, he could see concern in the big guy's eyes.

"Hey, any way you can bring the doctor back? He'd know what to do. Or at least, he could help apply pressure," Tony asked, trying for an air of nonchalance. Truth was, he was two seconds away from freaking out if the shaking of his hands were any indication.

The Hulk hit his fist on the floor in a display of his strength.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know you're strong enough, but you're _too_ strong. Do you want to hurt her?"

He glared at Tony, seemingly insulted, large hands pushing against the floor again. Then he smashed his fist into the creature again before he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes.

Tony wasn't sure if the Hulk understood him, but he had to give Bruce props. He had somehow learned to partially control his other half. Tony watched in amazement as the Hulk slowly leaned forward and began to shrink, muscles popping and cracking painfully. In a few seconds, Bruce laid there against the floor on his stomach. Tony yelled for the man for a solid minute before the man started to groan and wake up. Infuriatingly slow, Bruce managed to push himself up onto his hands and knees, looking through squinted eyes around him.

Tony cursed, trying to hold himself back from shouting at the man to hurry up and gather himself. Tony knew it took a lot out of him, and Tony was just surprised that Bruce was up so quickly. It usually took him hours to wake up once he changed back.

"Nora," Bruce coughed, managing to push himself up, clinging to the tattered remains of his clothes.

"She's still breathing," Tony told Bruce as he knelt next down on her other side. "Her pulse is getting weak though."

Bruce nodded, quickly, trying to shake the after-effects of transforming from his mind. It was always difficult to concentrate after he woke up. He checked her for any other injuries, but soon focused on her shoulder as it was the only serious wound he found.

"Jesus," Tony muttered, looking around the hallway at the smears against the floor. There was blood everywhere! He wasn't even injured and yet his forearms were covered already. He wasn't used to blood! And the smell… It left a horrible taste in his mouth he didn't think he'd ever forget.

"Breathe, Tony," Bruce told him calmly, yet stern. "You called an actual doctor right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Tony mumbled, nodding his head. "They should be here soon. I had Jarvis call S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Good job," Bruce tried to smile at the man. He didn't need Tony having an attack right now. He had to keep him talking, keep him level headed. He needed to keep himself level headed. But in the back of his mind, he could still hear Nora's screams. He had been sound asleep after Tony kept him up half the night helping him with a prototype for a new suit, and asking his opinions on certain projects. At the screaming, Bruce had been jolted awake and was transforming into the Other Guy in seconds. _Record timing,_ he thought wryly to himself.

He kept Tony focused on the task at hand as they waited for S.H.I.E.L.D. to show up.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews would be greatly appreciated! I love getting feedback and hearing from readers! -K


	9. Chapter 9

It had been four days. Four days since the creature attacked. Four days of searching tirelessly. Four days of Loki being stuck inside his cursed bedroom! He was going to go mad if he spent another day in the stone prison he had once found comfort in. He used to be able to come to his room if no one wanted him hanging around or if he got into trouble (which was most of the time). He had found comfort in the fact that he had a room that was purely his. It was draped in the colors he liked and the tomes he enjoyed. He didn't have to share this space with Thor. It had been the one thing that was _his_.

Now it was his prison.

Most of the room was covered in a thin layer of ice from his agitation, which only served to irritate him more. Not to mention he had to cover his large balcony door as the sun rose, his Jotun body unused to the heat from the sun. What was a small change in temperature, sometimes felt like he was standing next to a raging fire.

The only end to the monotony was when his mother or brother came to visit him. They brought him food and tried to distract him with new books and news of the creature. But the distractions were fleeting.

He had counted every stone, every crack in the walls, anything and everything that could prove time consuming. There was nothing left to occupy himself. His mother hadn't visited in a day. Thor had been away for a couple days, and he was starting to worry. Thor would come by so many times that Loki almost thought about locking his brother out. Almost, even though he knew he would never do so. He couldn’t afford to keep one of his only two visitors out.

Through the dull nothingness and boredom, Loki discovered he could tap into his Jotun magic. While he detested everything about it, his curiosity and desperate need for something to do outweighed his hate; if only for a short while. He found he could summon ice in his hands, forming the ice to whatever shape he saw fit. While still crude in its shape, he could make replicas of large Jotun ice daggers. Then, once his hate resurfaced, he found that the ice shapes would shatter into tiny flakes and disappear from existence once flung against the wall.

Seriously, where was Thor? The one time he wanted his brother around, he decided to vanish. Something must have happened…

A small knock on his door stole his focus. He reigned in his excitement, having the ridiculous urge to rush to his chamber doors to see who it was.

"Sweetheart, are you awake?" his mother's voice called quietly.

Only years of him learning to hide his emotions kept him from smiling like an idiot. Finally, someone was here to speak to him. Someone _wanted_ to speak to him. "Yes, Mother," Loki answered, feigning nonchalance. He was surprised: He sounded convincing, even to himself.

She walked inside his room, making sure the door opened just enough for her to enter. She was still paranoid that someone would discover his form if they walked by in the hall. Loki knew she did so out of her unwavering love, but he still felt like the shameful secret of the family. Once she entered, she gave him an understanding smile as she shut the door. Frigga went to him and pulled him into a careful hug, avoiding any skin contact.

"Have you gone mad yet, being stuck in here?" she asked with a knowing smile, putting him at arms length to look at him.

"Fairly close. It's been two days since Thor has visited me," Loki sighed. "And you've been away as well." Frigga didn't respond right away, and an odd look passed over her features. "What is it?" he asked.

Her mouth tightened fractionally. "There are…difficulties arising." Loki gave her an inquisitive look, encouraging her to continue. "It seems that the realm of Nidavellir is at odds with Niflheim."

"How so?" Loki asked. He couldn’t say that he particularly cared for Nidavellir and the dwarves, or the Ice Giants of Niflheim, but it served as a distraction.

"They have found ways into Niflheim, and the situation is getting tense. I fear that war between the realms will break out," Frigga worried. She went to sit on a nearby chair.

"I see," Loki said vaguely, wondering how they had discovered portals across realms, and what had caused the sudden fighting. Most realms had their secret portals and passageways into each other, but most of them were hidden or difficult to access.

"Odin has been trying to settle the situation diplomatically, but so far his efforts have been in vain. He has sent your brother to Nidavellir for the moment to inspect the situation more closely," Frigga continued. An immeasurable weight seemed to weigh on the woman, and Loki felt pangs of regret for his mother. Loki went to place his hand on her shoulder to comfort her before snatching his hand back quickly. He didn't wish to harm her. Instead, Loki just looked towards the large curtain covering his balcony door. He didn't know how to ease his mother's worry, nor what he could to do help in any way. He felt useless.

Frigga looked over towards the balcony door too, before rising from the chair. "I will let you rest. It is nearly dawn," she told him, wrapping him in a hug once more. "I shall return later this evening."

Asking his mother to stay hovered at the edge of his tongue. He did not wish to be left alone again. Instead, he nodded solemnly and bid his mother goodnight.

* * *

 

Odin stood in the large receiving room, his mind wandering to the rising chaos between the realms. He was in a very peculiar position. How was he supposed to choose which realm to help when he was supposed to help them all? Appeasing both sides was impossible; nothing Odin had suggested had worked out. He was in a difficult position, indeed. If he chose to help one realm, he'd make new enemies of the other. Not to mention he was still talking with the elves for their help in locating the creature.

Suddenly, the doors to the room opened quickly, producing a stumbling Loki and Thor behind him.

"I brought him, Father," Thor announced, shutting the doors behind him. "No one saw us, although _someone_ was uncooperative."

Odin watched as Loki straightened himself and huffed at Thor. "Well, stealing me away in the middle of the night is hardly exciting. Especially with no explanation."

Odin repressed the long-suffering sigh that threatened to escape him. Could Loki not take anything seriously? "Enough," Odin demanded quietly as the two started arguing, his voice reverberating around the room. His sons turned to look at him.

Loki studied Odin carefully. "So, the Allfather has finally decided to see me. Should I consider myself lucky?"

"Loki," Odin warned sternly. He currently didn't have the time or patience to deal with his son. Odin wanted to praise the Norns when Loki became quiet. "You are to be transported to Midgard immediately." There was no point or purpose to evading the situation at hand. Best to get it out in the open.

A few seconds of silence ensued.

Thor shifted uncomfortably.

"Why?" came Loki's surprisingly calm response.

A sliver of hope made its way through Odin. Perhaps he'd get through this encounter without an emotional outburst from his son. "In our current predicament between the realms, there has also been talk and concerns among our people. We still cannot find the creature that infiltrated Asgard, and many speculate that you were responsible," Odin explained concisely, face remaining stern. If the rumors were true…

Loki blinked a few times, letting the information sink in.

"Brother?" Thor asked, placing a hand on Loki's shoulder.

"And you believe them true?" Loki asked, eyes narrowed levelly at Odin.

Odin remained silent. He hadn't thought Loki would do such a thing, but he had thought that before only to be wrong. He couldn't take the chance right now. He was stretched too thin without Loki causing problems. "You are to remain on Midgard until I call for you, or the situation desists. With you gone, the people will be unable to place blame upon you if there is any more attacks or incidents." Odin would give his son the benefit of the doubt; they did have their truce, fragile as it may be.

He watched, seemingly detached, as Loki's eyes shone with rising anger. Those red eyes made Odin feel a twinge of uneasiness. They were the eyes of his once greatest foe; but they were also the eyes of a boy Odin had taken in.

"Brother, I will take you to Stark's fortress-"

"No, Thor," Odin demanded. "You are needed elsewhere. You must return to Nidavellir."

"But Father-"

"No!" Odin shouted, hitting his staff on the ground. "You have a responsibility to the safety of the realms. Loki will be fine on Midgard. Your Midgardian allies will take him in, correct?"

"Yes," Thor replied, still looking between Loki and Odin. "But-"

"It's alright, Thor," Loki said quietly.

Odin looked at his son in surprise. He had expected much more difficulty from him. Was he scheming once more? Or had he matured a little?

"I will be fine, Brother. The Allfather is useless in changing my form back, and I do not wish to rot away in a room," Loki continued with a superior tone. Odin ignored the insult. "When am I to leave?" Loki asked.

"As soon as we're done here," Odin responded. He didn't have much more time to waste here. He was to meet with the leaders of the realms soon. Ymir was being especially difficult. He heard Loki mutter something sarcastic under his breath as he turned to leave, Thor following after him. Odin heaved a heavy sigh now; he knew that Loki would see his being sent to Midgard as another temporary banishment of sorts. He had behaved relatively well since his return a few months ago, much to Odin's surprise. Loki had stayed out of Odin's business, therefore Odin had left him alone. Whatever magic had turned him back to his Jotun form ultimately troubled Odin. It was unlike any he had ever experienced. Except once, but it had felt slightly different at the time. But that was centuries ago, long before he had Thor, or found Loki abandoned. _He_ couldn't be responsible for this new feeling. He was locked deep beneath Asgard.

There was more going on than Odin knew, and it worried him. However, he would deal with the problems in front of him, as was the way of a king. He could afford no distractions.

* * *

 

Loki felt the pressure of the Bifrost push against him as he fell through space. This time travelling seemed more rough than what he was used to; he was certain it was Heimdall getting back at him in some small manor. Loki hit the roof of Stark Tower hard, his legs burning and teeth rattling. He shot a dirty look up at the sky, lowering his magical shielding for just a moment, letting Heimdall see his annoyance at the Gatekeeper. He could practically feel the man's smirk in response as he cloaked himself once again. He was glad he could still conceal himself; it would annoy the Gatekeeper.

Loki tried to straighten his clothes to appear more dignified, as he should be. He made sure his thin gloves were on tight, fitting to him like a second skin. Then he ran his fingers over his new bracelets.

"Here, my son. I crafted these for you myself," Frigga had smiled triumphantly. At this, she produced two thick bracelets and handed them over. "I could not figure a way to counteract what magic has befallen you, but these will at least give your appearance back if you wish." Then she gave him a tightened smile. "You will still need to keep away from actual physical contact though. You will still be in your Jotun form. The bracelets are merely a projection should you require it."

Loki gripped the bracelets in his hands. His mother had gone through a lot of trouble. For him. He could feel his mother's magic radiate from the small cuff-like bracelets. It made him feel inexplicably warm. "Thank you, mother."

He didn't have the bracelets for two minutes before he had put them on above his wrists. At least they had allowed him to travel to the Bifrost in the open. Unlike his father's bracelets of obedience, his mother's were made from care and love.

Loki made his way across the roof, looking over at the city lights, and entered the elevator.

"Hello, Loki."

"Hello, Jarvis," Loki replied, smiling faintly. He got a warmer welcome from a being that did not physically exist than he usually did on Asgard. He could feel the elevator descend as Jarvis controlled the elevator without instruction.

"Where are you taking me?" Loki asked suddenly, watching the flashing numbers. They were past where he usually resided.

"Mr. Stark wishes to see you immediately."

_Odd,_ Loki thought. Then again, Stark usually was. Still, he couldn't help but feel a sliver of dread worm its way through him. Did he overstep some boundary by not sending word before his arrival? They welcomed Thor easily enough, but he was not Thor. Would they house him again?

The elevator stopped and opened slowly. The doors opened to reveal a large room filled with machines and a strange blocked off area to his right. He watched as Stark, Steve, and Bruce turned to him quickly as he stepped off the elevator.

"Tell me you didn't know about this!" Stark suddenly demanded, eyes flashing angrily. "You cannot just pawn your problems off on us and then not answer any of our calls."

Loki paused, mid-step. What was Stark going on about? "I cannot say I know what nonsense you're talking about, Stark. An explanation should be in order before you start accusing me, or perhaps even a greeting," Loki replied smoothly, hiding his building anger. It seemed he was always getting blamed for something. First Asgard thinking he would try and attack his home (albeit again) and himself. Like he would use such an obvious trick again if he were trying to steal the throne. Not that he could voice those particular thoughts out loud on Asgard. He was getting tired of being the easy scapegoat when something inconvenient happened.

"The creature you got attacked by, the one that was after you and Nora," Stark continued, waving his arms about angrily. "Well, you let it through to here! It damn near killed Nora the other day!"

That halted Loki's anger for a moment. The creature was on Midgard? Was that why it couldn't be found in Asgard? It wasn't even in the realm anymore.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Stark demanded, taking angry steps towards Loki.

Before he made it a few steps, the Captain was there, pulling him back. "Calm down, Tony," he ordered gently, but with no less commanding force behind his words. The doctor just stood to the side rubbing at his temples. "Did you know about this?" the blond asked Loki calmly.

Out of habit, Loki almost replied with some sarcastic retort, but he held his tongue. These were his allies, friendly acquaintances. They were not Odin and his accusing words. "No, I did not. I do not know what it is you're talking about."

"See, Tony. He doesn't know," Steve told the man, letting him go.

Stark seemed to deflate slightly, the anger leaving him. Then he looked at Loki. "Sorry, alright? I'm just a bit tense, I guess."

Loki nodded his acceptance of the offered apology. "What happened?"

The three of them didn't seem to know what to say, so Stark grabbed a large, black plastic rectangle from one of the nearby tables. A tablet, Loki had thought they were called. Stark tapped on it, bringing it to life. After a few swipes, he handed it to Loki. Curious, Loki looked at it, seeing a vision of the man's living area. He watched as the Captain and the woman sat at the table eating, before the Captain left. He watched as the woman walked to the couch, flipping the couch cushions haphazardly. Then she looked up at the ceiling, mouth moving but producing no sound.

"Is there no sound on your technology?" Loki asked, watching as the woman fixed the couch, still talking silently. He assumed it was Jarvis she was talking to. He could have swore these things had sound the last time he had used one.

A shudder shook Stark's frame and Loki hit the button he had been taught to stop the video momentarily. "I-I can't hear it again," Stark muttered, looking away.

"Me either," the doctor finally spoke up.

The Captain just looked away.

"If you want sound, I'll give you head phones but…" Stark told him. Then he shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I need a drink." Then he headed for the elevator.

The doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "And I need some sleep. I'll see you guys tomorrow." With that, he left as well, leaving Loki and Steve in the room.

"Did they leave because I arrived?" Loki wondered quietly, more to himself than anything. It wouldn't be the first time someone had left his presence.

It seemed the Captain had heard him though. "No, it's not that. We've all been a little stressed. That thing attacked Nora and she's… not doing so well. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been here, trying to help. We tried calling for your Gatekeeper for a while, but there was never a response." A slightly haunted look had entered the Captain's eyes. "Watch the video. I'll be upstairs in the kitchen. You remember the way?"

Loki nodded once, and the Captain left as well. Once the man left, Loki resumed the video, curious. Surveying the selection of options, he clicked on them until the sound finally turned on. Loki watched closely as the human talked to the voice; watched as she stood to leave tensely. He watched as her shoulder was suddenly slashed open. The terror on the woman's face, the way she tried to fight back. He listened to the pain-filled screams. Eyed the bloody hand prints she left as the creature dragged her.

He understood now why Stark has looked sick at the mentioning of what happened. Loki had been in plenty of battles; he and vicious wounds were no strangers. But the screams… there was something eerie and chilling about the screams. For a split second, they had reminded him of his own when he was trapped inside the void-

No!

He hadn't thought about that hell in a long time, and he wouldn't start now.

He set the device down on a nearby table and went to return to the elevator. It was then he saw the alien creature inside the blocked off area he had passed when he entered. He hadn't paid it any attention before. He did now. The creature was entrapped in a large container with a thick glass wall between it and Loki.

Summoning what magic he had, he reached out a hand. The creature let loose a low whine as it fell to the floor, writhing.

This was the creature that was responsible for changing him back into a Jotun. The reason he was back on Midgard, and not at his home, no matter how much he still didn't quite fit in. This creature stood in his way, and that was a very, very bad place to be.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any comments would be greatly appreciated!! -K


	10. Chapter 10

Steve sat at the kitchen island next to Tony who was, once again, drinking. He'd give Tony credit though, he hadn't even finished a bottle yet. He envied the man's ability to dull the feelings of helplessness, of regret. Steve had no such luck. He was stuck with his guilt pressing down on him. He had only been gone for ten minutes before the thing had attacked. If he hadn't gone running, he could've helped Nora. He hadn't known the woman for more than an hour, but there was something oddly endearing about her. And she hadn't mocked him over the toaster incident, unlike the man sitting next to him.

 

The elevator dinged, revealing Loki. Steve worried slightly at the small glint in his eyes. He knew Loki wasn't  evil anymore, but Steve just never really knew what was going on inside Loki's head. "Did you watch it?" Steve asked, trying to fill the stifling silence with conversation.

 

"Yes," Loki replied. "I left the device downstairs."

 

Steve nodded once when Loki didn't continue. _So much for conversation_ , he thought. He wondered what the demi-god thought about it, but knew better than to ask.

 

"So what's happening on Asgard?" Tony suddenly asked, changing the topic. "Anything exciting?"

 

"If you call potential war looming over it, then yes," Loki replied sarcastically. "Exciting."

 

Tony raised his arms in surrender. "No need for the sarcasm Lokster. We haven't talked in months, there's no way I'd know. I'm good, but I'm not psychic."

 

An odd look passed over Loki's face at "Lokster", but then he exhaled slowly. "Forgive me, I am irritable. Is your offer for a place to stay still available to me? It appears I will be remaining here indefinitely."

 

Tony straightened and pursed his lips. "Did Odin banish you _again_?" There was a moment of silence before Tony muttered, "Harsh."

 

"It appears that the Asgardian people believe me responsible for the creature's attack," Loki commented off-handedly.

 

"But weren't you attacked, too?" Tony asked.

 

"Yes. That doesn't seem to be an issue." Loki then looked at Tony closely. "How did you know of the attack?"

 

"Jane told me when they arrived from the rainbow bridge, and Nora filled in some extra details," Tony explained, taking the final drink from his glass. Then he raised it towards Loki. "Want one?"

 

Loki shook his head, eyeing the glass.

 

"Aww, don't make me drink alone," Tony pouted.

 

"Hasn't stopped you before," Steve muttered under his breath, shaking his head slightly.

 

Steve watched as Tony walked over towards Loki. "Come on, the good ol' Captain won't drink with me, and neither will Bruce." Tony went to nudge Loki with his elbow, trying to goad him into drinking, when Loki suddenly sidestepped away. Tony gave Loki a suspicious and quick once over. "Catch!" Tony called as he suddenly threw his empty glass at the man.

 

Surprise flitted across Loki's face as he caught the glass reflexively. That's when Steve noticed the gloves. He knew Loki only wore gloves when he had been blue and unintentionally freezing everything he touched. Steve hadn't paid much attention before when he saw Loki for the few moments downstairs. He appeared normal though…

 

Tony openly gaped at Loki, piecing together the same information, and Steve shook his head at Tony once more. Sometimes Tony wouldn't know tact if he created himself in his workshops.

 

Loki instantly put the glass down on the table and clenched his fists, looking away angrily. It seemed he still didn't like that part of himself. Steve felt bad for the guy.

 

"Did you go all Avatar again?" Tony asked, cocking his head. "But you look normal. Well, normal-ish," he amended with a shrug of his shoulder and a roll of his eyes.

 

"Avatar?" Loki asked, confused at Tony's phrase. For once, Steve knew what Tony was trying to say. Tony had made him watch that movie a couple months ago. Why the man couldn't just say what he meant, Steve would never know.  "I thought the mortals told you what had transpired?"

 

"Nora explained that you two got attacked. She didn't say you went Smurf again." Then Tony smirked. "So Nora knows you're blue and kept it a secret, how cute!" Loki's eyes flashed dangerously, and Steve put his head in his hand. Apparently, any shred of tact was being thrown out the window.

 

"Oh, don't look so murderous!" Tony smirked still. "You have another friend. Now you can leave Pepper alone."

 

"And where is Pepper, Stark? Doing your work for you still? What kind of mortal man let's his woman do all the work for him?" Loki smarted back. Steve didn't miss the glimmer of enjoyment in Loki's eyes as the two argued back and forth. Tony even seemed to be enjoying himself, too. Heck, even Steve was momentarily (and happily) distracted from the tense situation, if even for a few minutes.

* * *

 

Loki watched the bright city below him through the large window. Once again, he was left alone while the others rested, but he wasn't as restless as he was on Asgard. He was allowed the freedom to roam Stark's fortress as he wanted. Midgard was very different than Asgard. The heroes knew what he was, and what he had done, and they didn't seem to mind. Stark even teased him about it from time to time. The man had a certain way of annoying Loki to no end, yet part of him was glad that someone wasn't afraid to argue with him. The Asgardians never took the time to do anything but glare in his direction or ignore him entirely. At least, when they weren't spouting rumors.

 

He had already tried calling for Heimdall, to tell him of the creature's capture, but he received no answer. Not that he expected any less from the Gatekeeper. Loki only hoped the man would inform the Allfather of the situation, then maybe he could return to the realm. It may not be his favorite place to be, but it was his home.

 

"Jarvis?" Loki tested, looking up at the ceiling.

 

"Yes, Loki?"

 

"Where is the human woman?"

 

"Are you referring to Nora?"

 

"Yes," Loki answered.

 

"She is in one of the labs that S.H.I.E.L.D. has transformed into a hospital room. Would you like to visit her?"

 

Loki nodded, then headed towards the elevator as it opened across the room. He didn't particularly care for the woman, nor did he dislike her. Which, for him, was quite a feat. He held a general dislike for people. Most who knew him, judged him immediately, yet the woman had not. Then again, she didn't know the depths of all his mistakes. But she had asked him of his past. He couldn't recall the last person who _asked_ him his side of things. He supposed that at least warranted a quick visit.

 

The elevator descended once again, opening on a level near the middle of the tower. Thankfully, this hallway was not overly lit with unnecessary lights. While he had somewhat adjusted to his sharper eyesight, bright lights still hurt his eyes. The short hallway lead to another large empty room, filled only with a bed with tiny walls on the side, a few chairs, a nightstand, and some beeping machines. A small lamp was lit on the nightstand, giving him a clear view of the unconscious figure in the bed.

 

The woman was abnormally pale and rasping for each breath. He could see parts of the bandages wrapped around her underneath the dark tank top she was in.

 

"What are you doing here?" a voice asked from behind him.

 

He wanted to curse his form once again. With his limited magic, he was still finding it difficult to sense others like he was used to. Turning, he saw Thor's woman and another mortal woman next to her. He didn't see a need to explain his presence, so he didn’t.

 

"Why aren't you on Asgard, Loki?" Thor's woman asked again, only a mild distaste for him in her voice.

 

"Wait, _that_ is Loki? The deranged psychopath who tried to take over New York?" the other woman asked, squinting at him through her glasses. Darcy, he believed her name was.

 

Loki looked at the woman, grinning slightly maniacally.

 

She walked up to him and looked him up and down, before looking at him square in the eyes. "So you saved her in Asgard?"

 

Loki lost the grin he had. He wasn't expecting that. Threats, accusations, anything else really. He had even come up with a variety of snarky comebacks to a number of things she could've said. "Yes…" he responded, almost sounding like a question.

 

Darcy looked to her cousin and sighed heavily. "Not that it did much good in the end, thank you for helping her."

 

Loki looked at the woman in confusion. She was thanking him? He wasn't used to getting thanked for anything.  Darcy made her way towards one of the chairs and sat down, while he just stood there momentarily unsure what to do.

 

"Did Thor come with you?" Jane asked him, oddly normal sounding.

 

He saw none of the usual scathing looks he got from her, and he got suspicious. "No," he answered, wondering what caused her shift in attitude. She looked mildly disappointed, but she nodded like she had expected the answer. Then she walked past him to the other woman, putting a hand on her shoulder. Loki knew when he wasn't wanted around, so he turned and walked back towards the elevator.

* * *

 

Tony rolled to his side, stretching his muscles. He had Jarvis block any sunlight from filtering into the room. Tentatively, he reached out to his right, feeling for Pepper. He didn't want to wake her, but he needed to feel her next to him as he curled himself around all her covers. She mumbled something in her sleep, but instantly snuggled against him.

 

He tightened his arms around her fractionally. It could've been her that had been attacked that day. It could've been her screams that haunted his mind. He wasn't glad Nora had got attacked, not at all. He had liked the girl when she had talked to Bruce like Tony did; like Bruce was any other person. She seemed nice enough all around. But he was still glad it wasn't Pepper laying in that makeshift hospital room right then.

 

S.H.I.E.L.D. had been able to patch Nora up the best they could, which was a damn good job in Tony's opinion. She had lost dangerous amounts of blood, and for the past couple days, she had been fighting a dangerously high fever.

 

It hadn't been pleasant, breaking the news to Jane, Darcy, and Erik when they had arrived. Darcy was the worst to face. She had gone still, then almost scary quiet, and then she had exploded. Immediately she demanded to see Nora and the doctors. Tony had showed her the way and tried to explain (surprisingly tactful) what happened, but he refused to show her the video footage. No matter how many times Darcy threatened his genitals.

 

* * *

Bruce sighed in frustration as he stood in Nora's would-be hospital room. Of course, some of his frustration came from Tony, who was pacing behind him relentlessly. Maybe he could teach Tony some mediation techniques so the man wouldn't drive Bruce into insanity.

 

The S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors were checking on Nora again. They were trying to cool Nora's body down. While her near life threatening fever had broke, her body was still clinging to a medium grade fever that wouldn't seem to break. Tony had the air conditioning in the room lowered, but it hadn't seemed to be doing anything for her. The doctors were fussing over the unconscious woman, checking her vitals. Personally, Bruce thought they were moving at an infuriatingly slow rate. He had done blood work and searched for a cure, while on the run, quicker than the two doctors seemed to be moving.

 

Listening to Tony's shuffling footsteps quickly ate up what little patience Bruce had, so he turned and headed back towards the elevator. Unfortunately, Tony followed him.

 

"Seriously, can't they just put her in an ice bath or something?" Tony complained, crossing his arms as the elevator shut.

 

"No, Tony," Bruce told him, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was starting to get a headache. Tony made a harsh noise of frustration as he ran a hand through his hair. Bruce understood that Tony was stressed and felt useless. He did too. Jane and Darcy had been pushed away from Nora's room by the S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors enough times, that they knew they wouldn't get to see Nora until later in the night, when the doctors would leave.

 

Which should be…

 

The elevator door opened, revealing Darcy standing there

 

…Right about now.

 

"The doctors still down there?" she demanded.

 

Bruce nodded. "They're still trying to cool her down. She's still got a fever, even if it is a low one."

 

Darcy nodded, and moved out of the way so Tony and him could leave the elevator. Tony made a beeline for Pepper, who was talking to Jane on the couch.

 

"Tony, when were you going to tell me Loki was here?" Jane asked, turning to look at him as he sat on the arm of the chair Pepper was sitting in.

 

"Loki's here?" Pepper asked, scrunching her face slightly.

 

Tony looked a little caught off guard as both women looked at him. "Well, he got here last night. Pep, you were already asleep. Jane, you and Darcy hadn't left Nora to see him when he got here," Tony explained. "How did you find out?"

 

Bruce pulled a stool out from under the counter and sat down.

 

"We saw him last night when we went to check on Nora," Jane told him. Darcy nodded her agreement as she sat down on the couch next to Jane. Bruce looked around, but he didn't know where Erik went. Maybe he heard Loki was there and decided to stay away for a bit. Bruce wouldn't blame him.

 

Tony raised an eyebrow slowly, a smirk pulling at his face. "Oh really?" Bruce knew that look; it was a look of impending taunts and teasing. He wasn't sure why Tony enjoyed taunting those he shouldn't (like Bruce himself, or the Other Guy), but he was just grateful it wasn't him for once.

 

Pepper went to ask Tony something when the elevator opened, revealing the Asgardian in question. Bruce watched Loki's eyes take count of everyone in the room quickly. He stood in the elevator for a few seconds, a debate clearly raging in his head. Leave or stay. Bruce knew the look well.

 

 

Loki steeled himself, walking across the room purposefully to the kitchen portion of the room. Keeping his bad turned, he opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. "Must you all continue to stare?" he demanded after a few quiet seconds, while turning on everyone in the room. Bruce immediately looked away politely.

 

Pepper stood up and walked over. "Do you want anything to eat, Loki?" Bruce watched as Tony pouted as he watched Pepper.

 

"No, thank you, Pepper. I am fine for now," Loki replied politely.

 

Pepper smiled and went to give him a pat on the arm. "Welcome back."

 

Crap, she didn’t know that he was freezing cold again! Tony stood from the chair quickly, making Jane and Darcy watch him with confused faces. Thankfully, Pepper had only touched his coat, but by the look on her face, and the sudden chill in the air, Bruce could tell she knew. She just smiled and gave Loki a quick reassuring pat and walked back to Tony, tsking at him. "Home many times do I have to tell you not to worry, Tony?" she rolled her eyes.

 

"Worry about what?" Jane and Darcy chorused.

 

"The fact that Loki basically freezes anything he touches," Tony told her like she was slow. "He's a… What did you call it?" he asked Loki.

 

_Damn, Tony,_ Bruce thought in sympathy for Loki. He truly had no class about talking about personal matters. Tony just didn't know what it was like to despise a part of yourself that couldn't be changed. Tony was just a (semi) normal person, with an ego the size of a planet. Bruce could relate to the Asgardian; he had truly hated what he was for a long time. But he supposed he had his experiences and his new makeshift family to thank for his new outlook on himself. He didn’t think Loki had that often. Bruce shivered as a wave of cold air brushed over him.

 

"Tony!" Pepper snapped, putting her hands on her hips.

 

"What did I-" Tony started to ask.

 

Loki placed the fully frozen water bottle on the counter forcefully and vanished.

 

Darcy and Jane looked back and forth, still confused. "What's going on? What is he?" Darcy asked. Well, the cat was out of the bag now. Pepper sat down and explained what Loki was while Bruce watched the frozen water bottle sweat, an idea forming.

 

* * *

Loki appeared in the large, dark work place that was filled with several machines. He made his way back to the freezer he had discovered Stark still had from his previous time on Midgard.

 

Loki found it astonishing, the rate in which the mortals figured him out so easily. It always seemed like someone new found out about his Jotun heritage by the day. Yet the Asgardians still had yet to piece together the information. He scoffed at himself as he opened the doors to the inside of the freezer.

 

Was this to be his fate? To be discovered and end up alone in the dark and cold? He was starting to think so.

 

Loki left the door open a few inches and made his way to the back of the freezer. The very dim lights from the lab gave him enough light to make his way around. He would've shut the door but then he felt caged again. Trapped. He didn't want that again.

 

He plopped onto the chair Stark had placed inside for him. He took off his gloves slowly, half expecting to see his blue skin. He only saw the normal skin color of the Asgardians. But it was just an illusion. He was never truly an Asgardian. Just a fake, like one of his summoned copies.

 

"Loki?"

 

Loki turned to look at the freezer door as a light flicked on. Squinting to help adjust his eyes, he watched as Bruce peaked his head inside. "I thought I'd find you here," the man said, smiling tentatively. "You alright? You know Tony doesn't have a filter."

 

"What do you want Dr. Banner?"

 

The man rubbed the back of his neck. "I need a favor."

 

Loki's brows furrowed. What could the man possibly want with him?

 

"I was going to see if you'd sit with Nora for a while," the man told him awkwardly.

 

"For what purpose?" Loki asked, still confused.

 

Banner shrugged and gestured to the freezer around him. "She has a fever that keeps coming back. I thought maybe you could help cool the room down for a while, hopefully her fever  will break finally."

 

"And what makes you think I care one way or another about the human woman?" Loki asked, falling into his façade again. He found it much easier to fall into such a mask of indifference than to care.

 

Bruce gave him a pitying look. "Jane said she saw you upstairs when her and Darcy went to check on her last night. Which means, you care, at least a little bit."

 

"Is that so?" Loki asked somewhat harshly. "You presume to know how I feel then?" Bruce just stood there and watched Loki, a hopeful expression in his eyes.  "Well, I hate to shatter your illusions," Loki continued sarcastically, "but I don't care one way or another about that woman. Now, if you'd please leave, I'd like to rest."

 

Bruce heaved a sigh, and left him alone. Loki hadn't missed the unveiled disappointment in the man's eyes. It seemed he was always disappointing someone. Loki looked at his hands once more, the bracelets clasped to his wrists. Taking them off momentarily, he flexed his hands as they blurred into the deep blue that was his natural form. The doctor was foolish. He couldn't help anyone like this.

 

* * *

Loki looked around carefully, making sure there were no lingering humans. Thor's woman and her friend had already left about thirty minutes ago, and he had asked Jarvis is anyone else was awake. There wasn’t.

 

He teleported inside the room, reluctantly watching as the woman rasped for even breaths while shivering with a fever. He looked around, unsure of what to do, and he wondered what had possessed him to try and _help._

Maybe it was the disappointment in the doctor's eyes. Maybe he just wanted to be able to do something _good_ in his hated form; to prove he wasn't a monster like the other Jotuns. Or maybe it was because it's what Thor or his mother would've done had they been on Midgard. They were always almost sickeningly _kind._ He tried not to think about it too deeply.

 

Grabbing a nearby chair, he sat next to the nightstand. The doctor had only said to sit with her, so that's all he would do.

 

He sat there for a while, lost inside his thoughts, before the woman started to mumble incoherent things in her sleep. In his boredom, Loki yawned and stretched out his legs.

 

_This is the epitome of dull,_ he thought. He couldn't even read a book to pass the time. He needed it dark so no one discovered him. He certainly didn't need Stark's endless taunts if he ever found out.

 

"Loki?"

 

He jolted upwards quickly, gaze snapping to the woman. Busted.

 

"You're not… blue anymore…" she said quietly, yawning as her half open eyes closed again. She shivered a little, wrapping the thin sheet around herself with her good arm. Her breathing evening out.

 

_Why did she sound disappointed?_

"…Glad you're okay thought…Not injured…" she continued to ramble, eyes still closed. Loki watched her oddly embarrassed and tense. She became quiet once again, snuggling into the pillow. "Now give me back my bag," she demanded quietly, sleep talking again.

 

Loki growled under his breath, irritated. Why did he think this was a good idea again? Even in her sleep, she annoyed him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know I don't post these chapters regularly (my laptop is a total bitch to fight sometimes and it's basically useless) but here's another chapter! Reviews are greatly appreciated!! -K


	11. Chapter 11

Nora felt like crap. She wasn't quite sure what crap felt like, but she imagined that this was it. Her whole body was achy, and she felt grimy. Cracking her eyes open slowly, she was blinded by a bright light burning into her eyeballs. Great, now those hurt too!

　

Groaning, she used her right hand to pull whatever lay on top of her off. She felt like she was wrapped in a dozen layers on a summer day. She liked hot weather enough, but she felt like she was chillin' in the devil's sauna for hours. As she flung the sheet away, cool air instantly washed over her, eliciting a content sigh. She lay there tired and slightly out of it, before trying to pry her eyes open and sit up. Squinting against the light, she pushed a pillow behind her back.

　

"Where am I?" she mumbled to herself, trying to blink spots from her vision.

　

"You are still in Stark Tower, Nora."

　

She winced as Jarvis' voice. "A little quieter please," she groaned. "Any way you can dim the lights in here for me Jarvis?" Not a moment passed before she watched the lights dim.

　

"It's good to have you back, Nora," Jarvis told her, his voice at a much lower volume. "I have informed the others of your awakening. They are on their way."

　

Nora nodded and rubbed at her stiff neck. "Just tell them to keep it down, okay?"

　

"Already, done."

　

"You're awesome, Jarvis," Nora smiled gratefully. She rested back into her pillows, almost falling asleep again. She couldn't remember a time when she was so tired!

　

"Nora!" a voice shouted.

　

She cringed back into the pillows. "Headache," she groaned. Suddenly, she was being pulled into a huge hug. Nora opened her eyes to see Darcy embracing her tightly. A dull pain blossomed in her left side and she groaned. Instantly, Darcy let go.

　

"If you ever scare me like that again Nora Elizabeth Lewis, I will murder you!" Darcy glared at her. The effectiveness of said glare was nullified by the extreme relief in her eyes. Nora looked past Darcy to see Jane, Erik, Pepper, and the few members of the Avengers standing near the doorway.

　

"Am I not dead already?" Nora asked, teasingly. "It feels like I got hit by a bus." Then she looked at everyone. "I better not be dead, because that would mean all of you are dead, too. Who am I going to haunt now?"

　

She heard various chuckles as she lay back into the pillows, and everyone made their way towards the bed. She shivered slightly, the cool air brushing against her.

　

"Why is it so cold in here?" Darcy asked, rubbing her arms slightly.

　

"Darcy, would you mind getting a wheelchair for Nora? She should get cleaned up and rest some more," Bruce changed the subject, an oddly happy look on his face. Nora didn't have the energy to try and discern the look. Darcy jumped up and headed towards the hallway. Everyone else hovered over Nora, giving her their congrats on finally getting better. Bruce had to shoo them from the room as he gave her one last medical once over. After a few minutes of checking her pulse, temperature, and answering a few questions, Bruce finally sat on the edge of the bed to shine a small flash light into her eyes.

　

"How long was I out?" Nora asked him, blinking away more spots in her vision.

　

"Almost a week," Bruce told her, clicking the flashlight off. "We were all really worried."

　

Nora gave him a weak smile of thanks. "Where's the creature?"

　

"Contained," Bruce said seriously. _Contained?_ Nora thought. At her confused look, Bruce continued. "I had Tony help me create a cell of sorts if I ever lost control. A place basically unbreakable, even for the Other Guy. It's locked in there for now."

　

"You helped me," Nora recalled faintly. She thought she remembered a loud roaring sound that wasn't the creature.

　

"Well, the Other Guy did, but yeah, I guess," Bruce smiled a little.

　

"Did anyone else get hurt?" Nora yawned. Bruce shook his head. "That's good," Nora murmured, stifling another yawn.

　

Darcy practically skidded to a halt as she ran down the hallway with the wheelchair. "Alright, Nora. Let's get you upstairs. There's a shower with your name on it, and a comfy non-sweaty bed."

　

"But I'm so tired, can't it wait?"

　

"Suck it up, cuz," Darcy smiled. "You smell, quite frankly, and need to bathe."

　

"That makes me feel _so_ much better, thanks Darcy. I did almost die, doesn't that give me some leeway?" she asked, shaking her head, while Bruce and Darcy helped her into the wheelchair.

　

"Your leeway is me wheeling you to the tub," Darcy smirked down at her.

　

Bruce chuckled at the two of them and shook his head. "You can remove the bandages, but try not to get the wounds too wet for very long. Then dab them dry. I'll come and see you tomorrow morning to rewrap it. And try not to move your shoulder too much, your partially healed, but not close to fully healed," he told her in his doctor tone.

　

Nora nodded, and smiled her thanks. Then Bruce told them goodnight as Darcy wheeled her away upstairs.

　

* * *

 

　

The next morning, Bruce patched Nora up quickly after checking her shoulder and leg. Then he wheeled her into the main room where everyone was standing around the island, suddenly shouting surprise at her. Nora couldn't help the touched smile that made her cheeks hurt. Darcy wheeled her to the table where a huge breakfast was laid out for everyone. After eating and talking for a short while, Pepper announced that she had to leave and run the company. At this, everyone gave Tony a pointed look and shook their heads in pity for Pepper. Soon after, Jane and Erik went to go talk with S.H.I.E.L.D., giving them some results for test and experiments they were doing. Darcy stayed with Nora as Tony and Bruce went back to working on whatever it was they were working on. That left Steve, Darcy, and Nora sitting on the couch watching TV.

　

"So Steve," Darcy said suddenly, eyeing the man carefully. "You're like Mr. Super Soldier, right?"

　

"I suppose so, why?" Steve answered, after a few confused silent moments.

　

"Wanna teach me some self-defense moves?" Darcy asked. Nora looked at her curiously.

　

The confusion faded from Steve as he turned serious. "Is someone bothering you?"

　

Darcy laughed and shook her head. "Oh no, and if they were, I have my taser for that," she told him. "You know I tased Thor once? But at least I didn't hit him with my car like Jane did." Nora burst into laughter at the mental images of Thor getting tased and ran over. Steve even laughed. "It could be something useful though, you know? Darcy continued. "And if I'm going to learn, I might as well learn from Captain America."

　

Steve thought about it for a minute before nodding his agreement. They both went in opposite directions to change into comfy clothes, then came back to wheel Nora into the elevator. She could hardly wheel herself with one good arm. They descended a few floors and came out in a large room that was set up like a gym. There were large mats laid on the floor, and several work out machines placed sporadically through the room. The far wall was basically a mirror, with shelves of weights in front of it.

　

Steve pushed Nora towards the mat in the center of the room, and she watched as Steve gave Darcy some simple instructions. After about twenty minutes of showing Darcy how to punch properly and some good areas to attack if someone were to grab her from different angles, Darcy decided she was ready for Steve to "attack" her. While Steve seemed slightly uncomfortable fake attacking Darcy, he committed to the lesson. He moved slower than an actual attacker would, instructing Darcy as he moved. Nora could definitely see Steve in his element; he seemed like a natural leader. He was patient, yet strict, as he gave the lesson.

　

After about an hour of watching the self-defense lesson, Steve decided that they should rest and stop for the day. Steve grabbed some of the extra mats and padding they used and headed towards the far wall.

　

"What's with the need for protection?" Nora asked Darcy as she made her way over. "You're not in trouble are you?"

　

"Psssh, I'm fine," Darcy tsked, throwing her ponytail back.

　

Nora looked at her confused. "Then why-"

　

"Nora," Darcy told her, putting her hand on Nora's good shoulder. "Look at the man." Nora looked at Steve's retreating figure. "I just spent the last hour up close and personal with all of that muscle-y attractiveness."

　

Nora gaped at her cousin. "You did all of this so you could feel his muscles?"

　

"Cuz, those muscles are firm as hell. As a woman, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I couldn't just ask him to take his shirt off, jeez. Besides, I even learned something," Darcy grinned.

　

Nora burst into laughter, trying to keep her stomach from hurting. Darcy really was something else. "You're so weird, Darcy."

　

"Where do you think you got it from?" Darcy asked rhetorically. Then she wheeled Nora towards the elevator. "Besides, I prefer evil mastermind." The elevator opened. "Speaking of evil mastermind, I haven't seen Loki around today."

　

"Loki's here?" Nora asked, looking back.

　

"He got here a couple days ago," Darcy explained, making room for Steve as he entered the elevator. "He's been around somewhere in the tower. He hasn't really hung around much."

　

Hmmm… Nora couldn't help but wonder what had happened. She didn't think he'd come to Earth on his own for just a visit. Was Thor there, too? She hadn't seen him earlier at her surprise "get well" breakfast. Then again, she hadn't seen Loki either.

　

Nora was quiet while she thought, Darcy wheeling her into the living room once again. Steve got a call, then told them he had some S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff to take care of, and left. That left Darcy and Nora alone to hang out like they used to when they were little. Nora couldn't remember the last time they had gotten to just talk with each other while Darcy did their nails. Between Darcy's internship, and Nora working most of the time to try and save up, they usually didn't get much time together. She had missed her cousin, and she was going to enjoy every minute.

　

* * *

 

　

She ran as fast as she could, but her leg burned so bad and she just…couldn't move! Her body moved annoyingly sluggish, as if she were trying to wade through water. She could hear the growls behind her, getting ever so closer. Suddenly, she took a sharp turn and looked behind her. Her heart stopped as she saw claws and teeth lunging at her-

　

Nora bolted upright in the bed. Frantic, she tried to look around the dark room before scrambling for her phone for some light. It was a dream, she told herself as she panted quietly. Just a dream. Reaching over to the nightstand in her new room, she flipped on the large lamp. As she sat there, trying to breathe normally, she started to feel a sharp pain in her injured shoulder. Looking down, she saw a slight tinge of red through her t-shirt.

　

She lifted her shirt carefully to see a small line of blood forming beneath the new bandages. She must have been fighting in her sleep and pulled at the wound. She'd need Bruce to look at it again.

　

"Are you alright, Nora?"

　

She jumped, slightly startled at Jarvis' voice suddenly speaking to her. After a few deep breaths, she nodded. "Yes, Jarvis. I’m fine, thank you. I'll be alright."

　

Nora sighed and tried to awkwardly take her shirt off with her good arm. She was still trembling slightly from her nightmare, but she eventually managed to put on another large t-shirt. Looking at the blood, she was thankful she wasn't squeamish.

　

_Well, I'm awake now,_ Nora thought, knowing she wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon. Looking at her phone, she realized it was only a few minutes before midnight. Nora limped her way towards the kitchen for some water, using the wall for support along the way. While her leg was mostly healed, it was slightly painful if she flexed the muscles too much.

　

Once she reached the kitchen, she opened the fridge, shielding herself from the sudden light. Grabbing a water bottle, she hopped to the nearest stool and sat down. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she pressed a few buttons and pressed the phone to her ear.

　

"Sweetie? Are you alright?"

　

"Yes, Mom, I'm alright," Nora smiled, taking a drink.

　

"Darcy told me that you had been sick since your vacation, but she wouldn't really give any details," her mother went on. "Are you sure you're okay?"

　

Nora nodded out of habit, then realized that her mother wouldn’t be able to see it. "I promise you, I'm fine now. I just had a fever and was sleeping most of the time," Nora told her. It was basically the truth. She'd leave out getting attacked by aliens though. "I just woke up to get a drink of water and thought I'd call and say hi." Her mother, Sydney, was usually up late as she worked at a hotel at the front desk during the night.

　

"Alright, you can't blame me for worrying," Sydney replied in a motherly tone that implied she was still, in fact, worried. "How was your vacation with Jane?"

　

Nora tried to explain the vacation was beautiful without giving her specific details. Her mother thought they had gone across the world, not across realms. Most people didn't know that the other realms existed, but Darcy and Jane had told her all about them. Thanks to Loki's attack on New York, the Earth new that aliens existed and there were threats out there, but now the world also knew that there were heroes to save the day. Nora didn't want to just give away information that might get her into trouble, so she kept her descriptions vague and hoped her mother didn’t ask too many specific questions.

　

Thinking back on her trip to Asgard, she remembered that Loki was in the tower, and she apologized for being such a wild child. "Oh sweetie, you were fine," Sydney laughed, a smile clear in her voice. "Children will be children. I wouldn't change anything for the world." There was a moment of silence. "Except the phase where you like to run around painting everything and trying to cut everyone's hair," she teased. Nora laughed at the memories. She was truly a force of energy as a child.

　

Catching up a little more, her mother finally told her that she had to get back to work and that she'd call again in a couple days. The call had chased away any lingering panic from her nightmare, thankfully, so Nora made her way back towards the hallway. As she turned the corner she saw a quick glance of someone walking and a flowing coat. "Jarvis, was that Loki?"

　

"Yes, I believe he is headed to the roof."

　

"Take me up there?" Nora asked.

　

"Of course," Jarvis answered, the elevator opening.

　

"Thanks, Jarvis," Nora said, entering the elevator. The elevator rose, and opened once it reached the roof. A cool breeze blew against her as she stepped out and admired the city below. She spotted Loki standing near the edge of the roof, looking up at the sky. She thought she heard him muttering to himself, but she couldn't be sure. "Hey," she called, limping a little towards him. "What're you doing out here?"

　

At her call, he had turned to her in surprise, but he quickly recovered himself. "Trying to reach Heimdall," he answered, looking back up at the sky. "He won't answer of course."

　

She chuckled at his tone. "So what're you doing here on Earth?" She waited a few seconds before realizing he wasn't going to answer. _Some things never change,_ she thought with a roll of her eyes. After about two minutes she finally turned to him. "What happened?" she demanded.

　

"Excuse me?" Loki asked, turning to her finally.

　

"We were attacked before I left Asgard. You aren't blue anymore, and now you're on Earth and Heimdall won't answer or send you back. Something happened while I was unconscious," she told him.

　

"Stark hasn't told everyone by now? That's surprising," Loki mumbled.

　

Nora couldn't help the smile pulling at her lips. Tony was definitely the most outspoken of the people she'd recently met. "Nope, at least not to me. I just woke up earlier today. I didn't even know you were here until Darcy told me." Something akin to relief filled his eyes for a second, but it didn't stay for long. _Odd…_ she thought, watching him curiously. Then he quickly explained what had happened, and what was currently happening on Asgard as far as he knew.

 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Nora snapped, raising her hand to cut him off. He immediately became quiet as he looked at her. "They just sent you here because people started rumors about you?"

　

Loki looked taken aback at Nora's anger. "It wouldn't be the first time I've done something similar. Traitors, though forgiven, are generally untrustworthy."

　

"Well, did you plan the attack?" she asked a bit more sharply than she meant to. He shook his head, clearly confused by her reaction. "Well then there you go!"

　

At that, Loki let out a hollow laugh. "I suppose I see the suspicion. I was attacked, but not badly injured. The creature got away, and then I was hidden away for days away from sight."

　

"Because you're blue?"

　

A sharp, impatient sigh escaped him. "I'm not blue. I am a Jotun." Once the words left his mouth, he made an uncomfortable look.

　

_And the Asgardians don't like those,_ Nora thought. "So you're screwed either way?" He quirked a brow at her, curious. "You can't win. You can't tell them you're a Jotun, or they'll turn on you. And since you were blue, you couldn't prove that you weren't part of the attack, to which they turned on you anyway," she tried to explain. She couldn't help but get a little angry on his behalf. To be set up to fail like that and not be able to do anything… No wonder he was Mr. Crankypants half the time. Making a noise of irritation, Nora slowly bent down to sit.

　

"You're…angry," Loki said slowly, still watching her.

　

"Of course I'm angry," Nora looked up at him. "Your situation sucks." She took a deep breath and looked at the few stars showing in the sky. Slowly, the slight anger receded, but it still remained in the back of her mind. "So what did you mean you had done something like that before?" she asked him, changing the subject.

　

"None of your business," he replied coolly, eyes narrowing up at the sky once again.

　

_Dang,_ she thought. She was still majorly curious about his past. "Okay," she shrugged, mentally adding that to the list of things she wanted to get answers to. She made it a life goal to figure him out. She could be patient.

　

"Okay?" he echoed her, once again watching her curiously.

　

The breeze picked up and Nora tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "Well, pestering you about it won't do anything. You'll just stay quiet and won't respond." She had figured that about him by now. If he didn't want to talk, he wouldn't, and there was no point in trying to make him. "I'm not going to try and force you to talk about something you don't even want to talk about. That would be rude."

　

"You're an odd mortal," he said quietly, under the sound of the breeze. He looked strangely vulnerable to Nora at that moment, so she gave him a quick smile and laid back against the roof, watching airplanes in the sky. She could spot a few of the constellations Jane had taught her, and she spotted the sliver of a waning moon hanging in the sky. After a few silent moments, Loki sat himself on the edge of the roof a few feet away, legs dangling over the side.

　

Nora watched the sky, her eyes starting to feel heavy. She was just going to rest her eyes… Just for a while…

　

"Mortal."

　

She could feel the comforting heaviness of sleep invade her now, her eyes refusing to open now.

　

"Midgardian."

　

Nora groaned slightly in irritation. She was trying to sleep!

　

"If you don't wake up, I'm going to let you roll off the roof in your sleep," Loki's voice snapped.

　

Nora huffed as irritation flooded her. While some part of her was glad he hadn't just left her out there, but she was tired and her emotions were leaning towards grumpiness for him waking her up. Slowly, she managed to push herself up slightly awkward with her good arm. She saw Loki waiting for her, surprisingly patient, as she made her way to the elevator.

　

"Can't you just teleport me inside?" Nora groaned, leaning against the elevator wall. She could hear him chuckle as she closed her eyes again, the elevator swaying slightly as it descended. It opened on the main living floor and Nora made her way to the couch before plopping on it like a child. She managed to snag a pillow before she got comfy. She was asleep in seconds.

　

* * *

 

　

Loki stood in the hallway, watching the woman practically fall onto the couch already asleep. He wasn't sure what he felt at the moment. The woman had surprised him again. She had been genuinely angry on his behalf. She had understood what the situation was, and had somehow picked his side. She hadn't told him he was overreacting, or ignore his side of things. It was strange, not having someone dismiss him immediately.

　

He had also been immensely relieved that she didn't remember him sitting next to her bed for hours.

　

She also hadn't pestered him about things he didn't want to talk about. Unlike Thor, she had merely shrugged and moved on. He knew she'd ask again later, but she wouldn't push him. Thinking of his brother, he wondered how things were doing with Vanaheim and Niflheim. He hoped his brother was alright, but he immediately dismissed the thought. Thor seemed to have an uncanny ability to end up the victor; this situation was no different. Thor had plenty of friends and allies surrounding him surely. And as Loki looked at the woman one last time, he thought that maybe he had gained another friend for himself. Somehow.

　

Midgardians were strange.

 


	12. Chapter 12

Nora sat on the couch with Darcy and Bruce as the TV played something in the background. They were all talking amongst themselves as Darcy was trying different designs for Nora's nails. After a little while, Tony came into the room, clearly unhappy, while Pepper followed closely behind him.

　

"What's with the monkey suit, Stark?" Darcy teased, setting down the nail polish on the table. Nora laughed at Tony's pouted glare as he pulled at his tie, straightening it. Bruce chuckled almost silently, a smirk clear on his face.

　

"We're going to a big party for the company and its affiliates," Pepper explained, grabbing a clutch purse off the counter. She had on a long, elegant black dress on with one shoulder strap across her shoulders. Her hair was curled and fell in bouncy waves over her shoulders. "Tony actually _has_ to show up."

　

"I do not," Tony grumbled. "Come on, Pep," he pleaded, holding his arms in front of him somewhat dramatically. "I'm so close to a breakthrough with a new suit!"

　

"And you'll be just as close when we get back," Pepper replied with a smile.

　

"I saved the world, can't I catch a break?" Tony tried. "Doesn't anyone else have to go?"

　

"Nope," Pepper quipped instantly, grabbing his arm and heading for the elevator. "Besides, you're the one with the ever-rising company, not the Avengers." Then she looked over her shoulder as they walked into the elevator. "See you guys later!" Tony just grumbled as the elevator shut, and the three of them burst into laughter.

　

"He really doesn't like to go to meetings or anything, does he?" Nora laughed.

　

Darcy and Bruce shook their heads. "He doesn't care for the fancy clothes anymore," Darcy explained.

　

"Yeah, but he _does_ like all the attention he gets," Bruce continued.

　

Darcy snorted. "That he does."

　

They all started laughing as Bruce told them stories of Tony's antics. "You should've seen him at the giant press conference last year. He basically asked someone if they got paid for being an idiot, because then they'd be richer than he was. Pepper had a field day with that one."

　

Nora could imagine it, more laughter escaping her. Practically hearing his voice in her head, she wished she could be as brazen as Tony, but she didn't think she could quite pull it off. After a few more stories, Bruce told them he was going to do some more research and that he'd try to be back for dinner.

　

Darcy flipped through movie channels as Bruce left, finally deciding on a movie. "Seriously? Mean Girls?" Nora asked the woman. "Haven't we watched this like a hundred times by now? We can quote the whole thing almost."

　

"Oh, my poor dear cousin," Darcy patted her on the shoulder softly, with eyes full of pity. "This movie is eternal!"

　

Nora rolled her eyes at Darcy dramatics, but smiled all the same. As they watched the movie, quoting all the parts as they happened, Loki emerged from the hallway. Nora and Darcy were crying from laughing so hard, and Loki just looked at them like they had lost their minds. Not saying a word, he headed to the fridge.

　

"Hey, Loki," Darcy called as Loki pulled some juice from the fridge. "Tony tells me you're blue, what gives?" Loki choked a little on the drink he had taken, then turned to Darcy, his eyes narrowed slightly.

　

"Oh my God, Darcy, you can't just ask people why they're blue," Nora laughed, paraphrasing the movie. That earned her an irritated look from the Asgardian. She tried to look apologetic… but she knew she failed miserably. Darcy was definitely blunt, no wonder her and Tony got along.

　

Loki just looked at the two of them, grimacing slightly.

　

"Leave him be, Darcy," Nora told her cousin, the smirk still on her face. _Seriously, he really needed to loosen up a bit._ "He does look pretty neat, though." As Loki stood there for a moment, Nora turned around to look at him again. "Do you wanna join us and watch a movie?" she offered.

　

It took him a few seconds to answer, but when he did Nora half expected his response. "No."

　

"Yeah, like you have more exciting things to do in the freezer downstairs," Darcy scoffed sarcastically. She turned back to the TV, watching the last few scenes of the movie. Loki remained quiet, looking at Darcy seemingly insulted. Nora smirked at his look of astonishment and shrugged at him, before turning back to the TV too.

　

"Will you be staying, Loki?" Jarvis' voice asked. "Shall I try to find a suitable movie for the three of you?"

　

Silence fell as Darcy and Nora sat there for a few seconds. Since they were facing the other way, Nora assumed Loki had teleported somewhere within the tower to avoid them; so she was pleasantly surprised when Loki sat down in one of the lone armchairs next to the couch. Even if his movements gave away his reluctance to do so.

　

"I shall find a movie for the three of you," Jarvis announced, the TV automatically zooming through the channels and searches. Nora was pleasantly surprised, but glad Loki had joined them. He had been keeping to himself the last few days. She wasn't sure what he did while locked away in the freezer half the time, but Nora was slightly worried for him. He had been slightly more snappy with everyone lately, even Tony tried not to joke around his as much. She figured he was worried about Thor and Asgard; maybe they could distract him for while.

　

* * *

 

　

Pepper watched, amazed, as Tony went from pouty, sulky child, to a suave and cocky man. The change happened as soon as the limo door had opened. She tried not to roll her eyes at him. The switch from not wanting to attend, to hogging all the attention was baffling.

　

Tony was such an enigma sometimes.

　

Pepper made pleasant small talk with some guests as her and Tony made their rounds. Pepper herself found these gatherings tedious, probably as much as Tony. Not that she'd ever admit it to him. One of them had to be responsible. Many of the guests in attendance didn't know a thing about Tony's company, only the fact that they made monetary gains by working with Stark Industries. The few people that she could remotely talk business with were too busy trying to get Tony's attention and practically ignoring her.

　

This is what made Pepper loathe these parties. Sure, everyone knew that she ran the company single-handedly almost (or at least without help from Tony), but the people that were here weren't at the endless board meetings and conferences to obtain that knowledge. They just assumed she was there to be Tony's date, and her figurehead role was nothing more than superficial.

　

She was talking with one of the men's wives about their family. Some of the men's wives weren't so bad. In fact, Pepper usually tried to keep contact with some of them every once in a while. She had no idea how they put up with their husband's sexist attitudes, but she wouldn't interfere. It wasn't her business. She knew Tony had his fair share of bad habits and opinions, but her capability was never questioned in the slightest.

　

"Mind if I steal her for a dance, ladies?" Tony's voice cut in smoothly as she felt his arm sneak around her waist. The women shook their heads and smiled at the two as Tony led Pepper away to the dance floor. "Ready to head back yet?" Tony asked, the two of them swaying to the music slowly. "These people are more clueless than Cap when I try to talk quantum physics with him."

　

Pepper gave him a slight smack on the arm, fighting back a smirk of agreement. "Tony!" _These people are really dull though,_ she thought with a slight grimace.

　

Tony just laughed at her almost reprimand. "Come on, you know it's true. They're monumentally boring."

　

"Perhaps," Pepper conceded. "But these parties are a necessary evil."

　

"Can't I just show up in an Iron Man suit and dazzle the masses and leave?"

　

Pepper grinned, leaning her head against Tony's shoulder. "You tried that once, remember?"

　

She could feel his laughter through his chest. "Yeah… It only made the night drag on longer, until I flew home." She felt him look around quickly. "Come on, no one's looking, we can totally sneak out the back."

　

Pepper pulled back with an un-amused facial expression. Was he really expecting her to just up and leave? She couldn't just shirk her responsibilities as CEO. "Tony, we can't-"

　

Tony ignored her as he suddenly pulled her behind the large DJ booth and towards a vacant hallway. Laughing rebelliously, Tony pulled Pepper through several hallways, following some invisible path. It was a good thing she could run in heels without twisting an ankle.

　

"Tony! Tony, over here!" a myriad of voices called out suddenly.

　

"Damn," he muttered, helping Pepper to a full stop. Cameras flashed and blinded the couple as reporters and interviewers swarmed them like gnats. Tony turned on his pseudo charm for the people, and Pepper caught her breath behind him. She couldn’t help the feeling of disappointment flow through her. In truth, she had wanted to escape. It figured she'd have to wait a bit longer.

　

* * *

 

　

"That is _not_ how magic works," Loki commented, grinning slightly evilly. He then caught the pillow flying at his head easily.

　

"Quit ruining Harry Potter for me, Loki!" Darcy shouted as she threw another pillow. Nora laughed as he caught it again effortlessly. After searching through dozens of movies, they couldn't decide on one, so Nora had told Jarvis to pick for them by randomly selecting from what was on cable. The search had landed on Harry Potter. Darcy and Nora had been excited, while Loki hadn't complained (much). Then he had purposefully started to mock the movie which ended with random projectiles being thrown at him. He hadn't retaliated, other than to keep poking fun at the movie. Nora just leaned away out of the line of fire.

　

"Who wants popcorn?" Nora chirped, hoping up and walking to the cabinets. Darcy called out a "yes!" as she watched the movie. Quickly, the sound of popping kernels filled the room as the TV went to a commercial. After a few minutes, Nora poured the bag into two big bowls. Loki looked surprised when she offered him one of the bowls. Nora gave him a quick smile before flopping back onto the couch next to Darcy.

　

"Your form of entertainment is rather dull," Loki commented offhandedly, eating a few pieces of popcorn.

　

"Because you were _so_ fun to be around in Asgard," Nora said sarcastically, shaking her head. She didn't think he knew the meaning of fun.

　

"I apologized," he huffed somewhat defiantly.

　

"Did you though? I don't recall an "I'm sorry" ever being uttered," Nora teased him, throwing a few pieces of popcorn at him. He frowned and went to retort when he suddenly became tense. Then his eyes widened, before narrowing again suspiciously. "What's wrong?" Nora asked, seriously. Loki looked towards the large balcony doors and stood. Suddenly, there was a faint vibration under Nora's feet. "Loki?" she tried again.

　

He walked over to the glass doors, looking out into the city. His eyes scanned the surrounding area quickly.

　

"Spit it out already," Darcy snapped a little. Nora and Darcy were watching Loki, turned around backwards on the couch.

　

"The Chitauri," Loki answered finally, quietly. Nora and Darcy shared an anxious glance. This couldn't be good.

　

* * *

 

　

Tony was almost at his patience limit (which, admittedly, wasn't very high to begin with). All the reporters and interviewers were wearing on his nerves. Some scathing insults sat at the tip of his tongue, but before he could get the chance to speak his thoughts, the ground started shaking. Tony instinctively reached for Pepper, making sure she was okay.

　

"Please don't be aliens. Please don't be aliens," Pepper muttered quietly.

　

_Oh, please be aliens! Please be aliens!_ Tony thought. Anything to get away from the party and away from the cameras.

　

Shouts and yells started up a few blocks away. The cameramen and reporters scattered quickly. Tony ran forward near the street, pulling Pepper with him. Quickly, he looked back and forth trying to find the cause of the shaking. Suddenly, Tony's phone began to vibrate in his pocket. It was Fury.

　

"Stark, we have incoming!" Fury's voice snapped through the phone.

　

"Thank you, God," Tony muttered, already hauling Pepper towards the tower. It was a good thing they were only a short trek to the tower. With the people running around, scared, driving would be near impossible.

　

"Excuse me?" Fury demanded.

　

"Nothing," Tony quipped. "What is it now?"

　

"The Chitauri again. There's a large group of them just south of you, and headed your way. Gather-"

　

Fury was cut off by a loud, echoing screech as the large flying creature flew overhead. Pepper pulled away from Tony to cover her ears. _Shit,_ Tony inwardly cursed. He grabbed Pepper and pulled her along again. Forgetting Fury was on the line, Tony hung up and dialed the tower. "Jarvis, send me a suit, now!"

　

"Already deployed, sir."

　

"Great, thanks. Where's Cap?"

　

"He left for his apartment yesterday. I have already tried to call for him, but I received no answer."

　

"Dammit, get me Bruce then," Tony ordered, watching as the large Chitauri deployed its annoying reinforcements. Dozens of them fell to the ground as the creature still few overhead. Pausing for a moment, Tony watched as the thing turned right ahead of them. Wait…why was that thing going that way? Surely it wasn't a coincidence…

　

"Is it heading for the tower?" Pepper asked, slightly winded from running.

　

Another deafening screech sounded as another flying Chitauri rounded the corner a few blocks west of them. "Jarvis, the suit!" As Tony finished his command, he saw his suit flying at him through the city lights. He let Pepper go for a moment as the suit quickly molded around him. Screens popped up in his mask. "How many of them, Jarvis?"

　

"From my calculations, roughly one hundred, sir. Plus the two large ones."

　

_Well, it could be worse,_ Tony thought. "Is there a portal somewhere?"

　

"It doesn't appear so."

　

Tony turned to Pepper, his mask pulling upwards. "Go find somewhere safe, and be careful." He gave her a look, trying to display the thoughts currently running through his mind. Pepper gave him a similar look and nodded, determined.

　

"Be careful, Tony," she demanded before heading back down the street. His mask fell down and locked into place, and he flew off.

　

* * *

 

　

Loki stared into the city below. The chill he felt go down his spine was an eerily familiar sensation. Repulsive, but familiar. It was the same feeling of being in the void.

　

"Loki?" Nora's voice called him gently.

　

He watched as she approached him in the reflection in the glass. She was worried like her cousin behind her. He looked past the glass into the city again. It was then that he saw the large flying beasts weaving its way through the city. He couldn't help his lip curling in disgust at the large stupid creature. Truly, it lacked finesse. It was more of a giant annoyance than anything.

　

"Is that Tony?" Nora asked to no one in particular as she came closer to the balcony door. Loki scanned the area quickly, easily spotting Stark's fighting through the air. He was trying to destroy some of the smaller Chitauri as they leapt from the flying beast.

　

"Anytime someone wants to help would be fantastic!" Stark's voice entered the living room. "Where the hell is Bruce?"

　

"I'm here, Tony," Bruce's voiced called suddenly as he entered the room.

　

"Well, Hulk out already," Stark snapped. There were faint sounds of explosions and the suit flying through the air in the background.

　

Loki remained looking through the glass at the city. He could see two flying beasts now, and the humans running amok through the streets. He might have found the chaos exiting once, if he had caused it perhaps. But he was too distracted trying to figure where the Chitauri came from. He could see no portal, and surely the humans would be monitoring for such energy spikes.

　

"Are you sure you need the Other Guy-" the doctor began.

　

"I know I'm great and all, but some help would be appreciated," Tony called through the room a bit snarky. Loki could practically hear the man rolling his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure! This isn't a leisure call, Bruce. There's too many for just me. I can't protect people from getting hurt and attack at the same time. The other suits aren't ready yet."

　

Loki looked at the doctor. Clearly he was reluctant to change forms and assist Stark for whatever reason.

　

"Before I die of old age, Bruce!" Tony snapped. "Cap is MIA. Romanov and Barton are on some mission for S.H.I.E.L.D., and Thor's not here. There isn't-"

　

"Excuse me," Loki interrupted calmly.

　

"Yes, Reindeer Games?" Tony muttered, more loud noised filtering through the line.

　

"I would like to…assist," Loki continued, choosing to ignore Stark's name calling. Silence surrounded him as everyone looked at him in astonishment. Even Stark was speechless.

　

"I'm not sure," Banner said. "We haven't told Fury you're here, and with the Chitauri suddenly here, it wouldn't look good for you."

　

He was surprised by the doctor's concern, but that wasn't going to stop him. "Then me destroying the threat would only be good for them to see," Loki smirked, the anticipation of battle already humming through his body.

　

"Fine," Stark responded finally. "Besides, since when do I care what S.H.I.E.L.D. thinks anyway? Suit up Reindeer Games, you're on deck." Then the connection went silent.

　

Loki couldn't help the malicious grin of his now. Finally, he could kill some Chitauri. He couldn't before when he lead them here years ago, no matter how much he wanted to. Now he was practically being handed the opportunity. An opportunity he wouldn't refuse.

　

"I think your evil is showing, Loki," Nora said, slightly anxious as she watched him carefully. He just grinned at her. This was the perfect chance to rid himself of some of his pent up frustration, and a way to enjoy himself all in one. Nothing could spoil this for him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry that I'm horrendously inconsistent with updating this. I have several chapters written, but I just hate using this cheap new laptop I got. It's obnoxious and making updating a pain... Anyway, let me know what you guys think! Thanks for reading!!


	13. Chapter 13

Loki teleported onto the roof, surveying the quickest route to take towards the giant creature. He had told the one called Jarvis to inform Stark that he would take care of the flying beasts. After quickly spotting the best way, Loki stepped off the roof of Stark tower and plummeted towards the ground. Wind whipped his hair and clothes, yet he couldn't wipe the grin from his face. Releasing a bit of his magic, he teleported mid-fall onto another building's roof, landing with a dull thud. Then he took off, sprinting along the edges of the buildings. He easily teleported along the rooftops in a slight zigzag pattern, quickly gaining on the Chitauri.

　

He could feel a slight drain on his magic, but that wasn't going to deter him. Teleporting short distances wouldn't deplete him too much; he'd still have plenty to kill the Chitauri with.

　

Excited, Loki sprinted a little quicker, gaining momentum as he moved through space several times. He couldn't deny the rush he felt by pushing his muscles, ready for battle. He wasn't nearly as battle hungry as Thor, or some of the other Asgardians, but he still appreciated the thrill of a battle. He was raised as an Asgardian after all.

　

Seeing the flying creature hovering closer towards him, Loki teleported to the other side of the street onto some skyscrapers. The large roof gave him plenty of room to sprint as quickly as he was able to in the short distance. Then he leapt off the ledge, flying through the air with trained ease.

　

He hit the back of the creature a little roughly, rolling forward to soften his landing, before running towards the head of the beast. He eyed the flickering sparks of purple energy along the creatures ridged back as he ran along the spine. A couple of the Chitauri soldiers crawled up the side of the creature, but he made quick work of them with some throwing knives. Quiet laughter escaped him as their bodies plummeted towards the ground gracelessly.

　

The large creature started to buck, trying to throw Loki off, but it had no such luck. Loki soon stood at the back of its neck, grinning. Moving his hands in fluid movements, Loki gathered his magic quickly, using only as much as he needed. His magic was difficult to utilize fully, but it would be more than enough for what he had planned.

　

Throwing his hands downwards and out, he sent his magic around the beats giant head. Concentrating, Loki slowly turned his arms in a counter-clockwise motion until his arms formed a loose circle. Grinning maniacally, he ripped his hands clockwise. The creature's head suddenly snapped to the right at an odd angle and began falling to the street, dead. Loki teleported to a nearby roof as to watch from a distance at his handiwork. He panted slightly, the drain on his magic a bit more than he had anticipated.

　

Perhaps he went overboard… But he couldn't bring himself to care.

　

The creature smashed into the earth, shaking the ground and surrounding buildings. The annoying reinforcement Chitauri soldiers leapt from the beast as it fell and landed on the ground. Summoning a few more throwing knives, he took a few of them out as he teleported to the street. Then he summoned two longer daggers, holding the hilts backwards, the blades stretching halfway down his forearms. A flash of nostalgia washed over him as his fighting reminded him of his mother and how she had trained him as a child. He took a stance as the Chitauri soldiers surrounded him, balancing his weight appropriately. There was a moment of stillness before he teleported and attacked the Chitauri mercilessly, cutting through Chitauri muscle and bone viciously.

* * *

 

　

Tony hovered in the air, completely taken aback by the wake of destruction Loki left behind him. Reindeer Games was having a field day.

　

Teleporting back and forth quickly, Loki cut through the Chitauri soldiers almost effortlessly graceful. All he used were a pair of long daggers and his magic. Tony had to admit that he was impressed. Especially after watching Loki take down the flying monster minutes after joining the fight. It sure as hell beat getting eaten by one of those things.

　

Spotting some stray Chitauri soldiers, Tony flew down and blasted them easily. Random people still ran around haphazardly through the streets. Rolling his eyes, Tony swooped down and blasted any Chitauri he came across trying to protect people.

　

_Couldn't they just find somewhere inside to hide?_ he thought, shaking his head. Was running through the streets really necessary?

　

The Chitauri started to fire their weird alien guns randomly as they marched through the street. Tony had to keep flying in circles just to try and keep their attention from the citizens. While he had welcomed the distraction from the party, the people in the streets were testing his patience again. There were just too many of them drawing the Chitauri's fire for him to do much else then protect them and take out a few here and there.

　

"Where on Earth is Spangler?" Tony grumbled unhappily, taking out another enemy. "And next time I see Bruce, he's getting slapped in the head, Hulk or not."

　

"And that's why people say you don't work well with others, Stark," Steve's voice said inside his suit.

　

Tony grinned and laughed. "Welcome to the party, Cap. Although, you are fashionably late getting here, but better late than never and all that."

　

"Sorry," Steve apologized. Tony spotted him as he flew down the street, flinging the shield at some Chitauri. Finally, maybe they'd get somewhere. "Where's Banner?" Steve asked as Tony landed next to him.

　

"He decided to sit this one out I guess," Tony answered, looking around him, his mask pulling upwards.

　

"Then who-" Steve asked, gesturing to the giant fallen Chitauri in the street. "Your handiwork?"

　

"No, that was actually-" Tony was cut off by a Chitauri falling to the ground next to him. Steve drew his arm back to throw the shield, but immediately stood at ease.

　

"Loki?" Steve asked incredulously, blinking to make sure he was seeing correctly.

　

"Must I save you again, Stark?" Loki asked, appearing next to the two men. Tony looked at the Asgardian. He had a malicious glint in his eyes and a smirk on his face, while being slightly covered in some questionable things Tony didn't even want to think about too hard. Tony was definitely freaked out a little by Loki; he seemed to be having…fun. Don't get him wrong, Tony had as much fun as the next person during a battle, but he didn't think he had seen Loki have fun before.

　

"Yeah…" Tony muttered, still eyeing him oddly. "Thanks, Rudolph."

　

"You're welcome," Loki smirked, throwing one of his daggers to take out another Chitauri. There was only a handful of them left, plus the other flying one that had passed them not a few seconds before.

　

"So who's got the big one?" Steve asked, looking at Tony and Loki.

　

"I'll get it," Loki offered, immediately disappearing into thin air.

　

Steve looked after him, bemused, and Tony just shrugged. "He's got it. He's having the time of his life. It's a little creepy, but at least he's on our side this time."

　

Steve nodded sharply, "Alright, we're taking out the grunts then."

　

"On it, Cap," Tony saluted lazily, his mask falling into place and taking off into the air. Steve ran at the nearest Chitauri, throwing his shield as hard as he could.

* * *

 

　

Loki raced along the tops of the roofs of the city buildings, only teleporting when he absolutely had to. He was definitely low on magic and he could feel himself growing sluggish and fatigued by the depletion. Oh, how he wished he wasn't stuck in his Jotun form. All of these horrid creatures would have long since been destroyed. His luck was not such, it never had been. However, he was enjoying himself. He couldn't recall the last time he encountered such an opportunity.

　

Breathing deeply, Loki teleported and jumped from a high roof, once again landing on the creature's large back. He would have teleported onto the creature, but while his magic was limited in his form, it was also difficult to control at times. Teleporting onto a moving target would prove difficult.

　

Encountering no opposition, Loki weaved through the Chitauri's back, soon finding himself at the optimal location at the back of its neck. Taking a steadying breath, Loki widened his legs for balance as the creature tried to get rid of him. Ignoring the thrashing, Loki gathered his magic, repeating the motions once more. He could feel his magic roll over the creature gently, circling its neck and very physiology. While the creature had strange armor on, underneath was remarkably vulnerable.

　

His arms moved without thinking, his arms forming a circle. While concentrating, Loki nearly missed the slight sounds of footsteps behind him.

　

Looking behind him quickly, his eyes snapping open, he saw two Chitauri ready to strike him with their guns. He froze for a second. He couldn't protect himself. He was almost done with his magic to kill the creature. If he were to stop now, he would have wasted that magic and energy. Stopping midway through a spell would take more energy than it would just to finish it. Then he'd be left somewhat vulnerable as his magic broke.

　

He weighed his two options: Protecting himself and wasting magic, or killing the creature and ending up shot with their energy blasters. Getting shot wasn't ideal, but it wouldn't be a serious injury. He'd heal in a couple days.

　

Before he could make a decision, two arrows were shooting through the Chitauri's heads in a violent display. The Chitauri fell limply over the side of the beast and towards the ground. Looking over, Loki was surprised to see Barton standing on the roof of a skyscraper, aiming his bow at Loki now.

　

Loki eyed the archer suspiciously while he snapped his arms sideways, killing the creature. He stared at Barton as the creature fell with Loki on its head, the archer's aim still trained on the Asgardian. Loki silently dared the archer to attempt a shot at him; Loki's look promised retribution if he ended up shot through. Or blasted with an explosive attached to an arrow.

　

Barton gave him a "shit eating grin" as Stark would call it, and the archer loosed another arrow.

　

Immediately, Loki noticed that the arrow wouldn't hit him, but it came close as it whipped passed his ear. A sudden shriek sounded behind him, alerting Loki to another stray Chitauri behind him as it fell to its death.

　

Loki teleported to the ground as the dead flying Chitauri collided with the earth, taking a couple buildings out with it. He took deep, calming breaths, waiting for his pulse to slow. Stark and Steve soon caught up with him. Both seemed unharmed.

　

"So," Stark began. "How much damage do ya think we did?"

　

Loki eyed them curiously. Was this a serious concern to Midgardians? _If they didn’t have buildings every ten feet, they wouldn't have to worry about any damages_ , he thought.

　

Steve looked around. "All in all, it's not too bad this time. Somehow," he murmured the last part to himself.

　

"Yeah, thanks to Loki," Stark said, his mask pulling upwards as he clapped Loki on the shoulder. "Seriously, Lokster, that was badass!"

　

Loki felt a small, yet thrilled, smirk reach his face. He usually wasn't praised for his battles and victories. Usually, people were praising his brother and the other Asgardian warriors, while they looked down on his "magic tricks". Half of them would be dead if not for him by now. Loki couldn't deny that he liked the acknowledgement.

　

"Good job, Loki," Steve nodded at him, giving him a genuine smile.

　

Stark leaned his arm against Loki. "I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative," he laughed. "Earth's mightiest heroes," he continued dramatically.

　

"But I-" Loki started, but was cut off by a rude scoffing noise.

　

Barton strode up to them, bow in hand. "You're welcome by the way," he told Loki, watching him wearily. Loki didn’t respond, he just watched Barton as he held his bow in his hand near his hip, ready to use at a moment's notice. Loki did suppose, albeit reluctantly, that the archer had helped him. He hadn't saved his life, but the archer had helped a little. Loki gave the man a nod of thanks before he could think better of it. The archer raised his eyebrows in surprise, but otherwise stayed silent.

　

"Where's Nat?" Steve asked, breaking the semi-awkward silence.

　

Barton gestured behind him towards the tower only a few blocks away. "At the tower in case any had made it through us. I told her we had it, but she insisted. You know how she is."

　

"Yeah, she's just worried about Bruce," Stark commented with an eye roll.

　

Loki looked at the small group in confusion. Why would the assassin worry for the giant beast that could stand up to himself and Thor? Surely, the doctor could take care of himself.

　

Steve looked around the street quickly. There were still people running around here and there, while others were slowly coming out of the buildings to see if the battle was over. "Maybe we should head back before all the news reporters and news reporters show up," he suggested.

　

Loki silently agreed while Stark made an exaggerated sigh. "Agreed. I've had it with idiot people for the night."

　

The archer chuckled. "Exciting day, Stark?"

　

"Monumentally thrilling," Stark deadpanned, as they started towards the tower. "Who's up for some food?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys thought!


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